


New Blood

by Persefata



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: All Out War Arc (Walking Dead), Beth Greene Lives, Carl Grimes Lives, Character Study, Darkish Bethyl AU, F/M, Female Anti-Hero, Saviors Member Beth Greene, The Whisperers War (Walking Dead), Writer Is Not A English Native Speaker, dyslexic writer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:20:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28308897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persefata/pseuds/Persefata
Summary: Five years after Beth was taken by a car in the middle of the night, Daryl finds her as unexpectedly as possible: on Negan's right side, in the execution circle where Glenn and Abraham have already lost their lives. It doesn't take long for Dixon to realize that, although she is wearing Beth Greene's face, the similarities between the innocent girl from the farm and this cold woman end there.Five years is a long time, and to survive, Elizabeth had to reinvent herself as someone unshakable, burying every little thing that could connect her to her old life. However, when she abruptly comes across Daryl Dixon again, she discovers that she is not as disengaged from the past as she assumed.The world is vaster than her feelings. The Saviors already have too many enemies, and Elizabeth fears the day she'll be forced to choose between redemption and revenge. Between Daryl and her people.
Relationships: Beth Greene & Negan (Friendship), Carl Grimes/Lydia, Daryl Dixon/Beth Greene, Dwight/Sherry | Honey (Walking Dead), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Noah & Beth Greene (Friendship), Sherry & Beth Greene & Dwight (Friendship)
Comments: 52
Kudos: 42





	1. We Are All Negan.

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [New Blood](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/731220) by persefata. 



> That's me trying my hand at translation again. *Sighs*. 
> 
> This is VERY au, and kind of disappointing. The plot had the potential to be more, but right now, I don't have the time or energy to write a great fanfic. So, you've been warned!.
> 
> More information in the end, I guess.

**Washington - Currently**

**Elizabeth Greene:**

Elizabeth hated when things got out of hand. She spent so many years feeling helpless, and depending on other people, that she utterly _hated_ it. 

That freezing night, with a biting wind that moved between the trees and brought the putrid smell of the living dead mixed with fresh blood, forcing the woman to tighten the jacket she wore against her own body was a perfect example of that.

Despite arriving in the clearing after the deaths, Greene was incapable of restraining the feeling gradually building in the pit of her stomach. The same terrible sense of hopelessness that she had not experienced since the massive escape from Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta five years before. 

Even with the growing panic, the woman was careful enough to keep her face safe behind a mask of indifference. She behaved with the same kind of confidence that had helped her survive in the new world. The same kind of confidence that got the other Saviors to look at her as a role model.

Her concern, however, had nothing to do with the people kneeling in the execution circle where two men have already lost their lives; The girl looked at them and only felt hatred for the monstrosity they did. Those people had completely destroyed the Saviors outpost on the satellite base for no apparent reason, and when Negan sent Dwight with a team to capture them, they slaughtered more than half of the soldiers sent.

At another time, Elizabeth would have been ecstatic with happiness at the reunion with her past group. But that naive girl was no more, and the only thing preventing the woman from disobeying Negan's orders and killing them all right there was the pale and covered in blood man that, at her request, Dwight had taken out of the danger zone.

Daryl shouldn't be there. Dwight should have moved him long before the Alexandrian's capture, and now Elizabeth felt like everything was spiraling out of her control. The hunter didn't deserve to die like that. She doubted that the attack at the outpost was his idea. Daryl probably only went along to protect the scum he called family.   
  
He was like that, loyal to the point of loyalty becoming blinding stupidity.

Elizabeth's rage was so great that she forgot that she wasn't the only one suffering. Through the clearing, the rest of the Saviors seemed equally affected and in need of justice. It was their friends who Rick's people killed in cold blood. Brothers and sisters. Husbands and wives. Mothers and fathers, daughters and sons.

" Shit, never be told that I'm not fucking merciful. You fuckers invaded the satellite base in the middle of the night like shitty rats, and even then, I'll let y'all go with a slap on the wrist." Negan's mocking voice silenced the whispered conversations in the background, and the man turned, extending a hand to Greene.

Elizabeth didn't hesitate, just moved gracefully to the waiting man. It was only right that she chose who would be taken out of Rick's group, considering who they took _from her_. Ignoring the pang of pain that swept over her suddenly, Greene let her pale eyes fall on the two pools of blood and brain mass where the heads of the men Negan had killed should be, and a sense of justice made her chin lift proudly.

Negan was right. They were scaping almost for free.

"B-Beth?" Maggie's weak voice made the blonde turn her head automatically, her face carefully neutral. The older woman looked ill and exhausted. Elizabeth had to push the inappropriate concern that insisted on violating her control barriers. 

Maggie _Rhee_ was no longer her problem.

— Try not to look so surprised, Maggie. I survived, not thanks to you, of course, but I made it — she replied, feeling Negan watching them, just like the army of saviors surrounding the clearing.

Their curiosity was palpable, but there was no mistrust. Elizabeth had won the respect of each one of those people, _her_ people. Greene fought for them, killed for them, bleed for them. She would rather shot herself in the head than betray them, and they knew that. The fact that she had told Negan everything about her former group as soon as she identified them only served to reinforce that trust.

" What are you doing with them? With him? ". The woman insisted, making Greene sigh with impatience. "I am your sister! And they ...".

— Choose your next words very carefully. You only aren't dead because he thinks y'all can be a resource for us, as people — the words had a bitter taste in Elizabeth's mouth, and she knew that many in the Sanctuary felt that way too.

Rick's people were escaping too easily with what they had done.

  
Maggie didn't seem to hear it because she kept on with her pathetic pleas, trying to get up to talk to her sibling properly. "You are my little sister ...".

Greene remembered all the nights spent in fear at Grady Memorial, terrified of being raped or killed if she dared to close her eyes. She thought about Dawn's heavy hand on her face, about killing so many people to survive that she had lost the count. She thought about how the woman on her knees had left her behind while those people, _that man_ , had welcomed her with open arms and wanted to laugh.

— I am Negan — she ended the bloody conversation, enunciating each word as if she were trying to explain something to a stupid child and earning the murmurs of approval from the Saviors around her.

'' That's my girl! '' Negan shouts, looking extremely amused. He takes a step forward, pointing the blood-soaked baseball bat at Maggie's face in a suggestive way. ''Do you want me to end her misery, sweetheart?. All you need to do is ask''.

As much as Elizabeth hated Maggie for moving on without her, she would not be able to order the woman's execution in cold blood like that. Greene trusted the leader she chose to follow. But also saw no need to give him something he could use against her.

— No, she already seems half-dead anyway — Elizabeth replied, without showing much interest and wandering away to pretend to inspect the others kneeling.

Despite the woman's disdain for Maggie, she might even have intervened in defense of Rick and the others. If they hadn't killed her people, but they did, and she wanted justice. However, her own mind betrayed her when her eyes found the man with his head down almost outside the circle, sweating in the cold winter air by the evident blood loss.

Daryl Dixon.

She never managed to hate Daryl, not even for not searching for her. After all, the hunter hadn't asked to end with a useless teenager after the prison fall. Of all the people in her old group, he was the only sincere one, the only person who wasn't afraid to speak the truth and hurt her feelings when needed. The kind of resilience she unconsciously developed with the man helped her to survive later.

" This one? The fucker punched me in the face. I'll enjoy see him on the fence". Negan commented cheerfully, when he realized that Elizabeth had stopped.

Greene only heard it in half, the erratic sound of her heartbeat blocking out the rest.

To her horror, she realized that she wouldn't be able to hurt him even if he was voluntarily involved in the massacre. The punishment shouldn't be for him.

Be reasonable, Elizabeth. He killed your people. The woman thinks, aware that she has never been able to be impartial when it came to Daryl, not since she got to know him for real. Lifting her chin and avoiding the hunter's eyes, Greene sucked in a breath, nodding.

— Well, he will get on the line. All of them do.

Without designating a second glance in the man's direction, Elizabeth turned on her heels and returned to where Sherry was waiting with the rest of the audience. If Negan thought it necessary to give Rick a final lesson, it wasn't her problem. She was exhausted and wanted to go home.

* * *

**Daryl Dixon:**

Daryl felt like a deer caught in the headlights when he raised his head and noticed the woman approaching on Negan's command. He remembered so clearly the last time they had seen each other.

_  
Beth's big blue eyes stared at him with a mixture of curiosity and concern. '' What changed your mind? '' She asked, narrowing her face with understanding when he didn't respond. "Oh ..."  
_

She was older. Her face, once innocent-looking by the last characteristics of childhood was now all made of sharp angles. And even though her eyes still had the same lapis lazuli shade, there was a new coldness about them. 

White gold hair framed her face, shimmering softly under the sparse lights as the girl marched, chin up and clenched fists to the kneeling group in the execution circle.

That woman might even be wearing Beth Greene's face, but Daryl didn't have to look twice to realize that the similarities between the two ended there. So when she left, the hunter knew better than to call for her, even if to keep his mouth shut, he had to fight every cell in his body that was begging him to shout the girl's name in the open and damn the consequences.

 _That's no longer Beth_. He repeated to himself, again and again, until that urgency became something more manageable.

Beth would never stand unaffected while they were tortured like that.

  
Somehow, Daryl knew he had failed her.

* * *

**Elizabeth Greene:**

They put Daryl in Elizabeth's room instead of a cell, and the doctor took care of him. She still had satisfactions to give but delayed the responsibility to watch over the unconscious men.

Greene's head was an extremely confusing place at that moment, an old loyalty surfacing to shake the foundations on which she had reinvented herself. Grief, betrayal, anger. These emotions were mixed in the back of her throat, robbing her of her breath and the ability to think clearly. How many times over those tortuous years she'd prayed God for Daryl?.

Well, be careful what you wish for. She thinks, wincing when she realizes he has woken up.

"Beth ...". Daryl whispers incredulously, his calloused fingers touching her face with hesitation as she sits on the edge of the bed.

A sense of possessiveness fills the woman's chest because her name was the first thing that came out of his lips when his eyes opened. Elizabeth hadn't been Beth for a long time now, but she didn't have the heart to tell him, especially with Dixon touching her like that, as if she could disappear into thin air if he didn't.

Daryl hadn't forgotten about her. Greene is suddenly full of overwhelming hope and puts her hand over his, leaning toward his touch.

— I'm here. It's me.

Realization seemed to catch up with him gradually, and Daryl remembered with who he was and where he probably was. The hunter jumped, trying to snatch the serum from his arm and get out of bed. Elizabeth stopped him quickly.

— Stop, Daryl. You'll hurt yourself.

"Glenn and Abraham are dead, your sister ... The rest of them need me."

Daryl was still trying to protect those people. Greene pushed him back on the bed, holding his arms to keep the man from moving.

— You are not going anywhere. They can manage alone.

"What are you doing with that son of a bitch, Beth? What happened that night? I ran after you for hours ..."

— You looked for me? — her voice was squeaky, and when she couldn't hide her surprise, Daryl gave her an unbelieving look.

  
"I never stopped looking for you. I knew you were alive ... but this guy, these people ... how did you get here?"

The woman couldn't endure the doubt behind Daryl's words, as if she were fragile, as if she were still that stupid girl from after the fall of the prison, unable to get her hands dirty to survive.

— And how did you end up like this? Killing people while they slept...

"They were bad. They were a threat".

— And who decides that?!. Those people you killed had families, had lives here, how could you do this to me?

"Beth, I didn't know you were here if I knew ...".

— What would you have done?. Taken me away while Rick murdered my people in cold blood? Don't look at me like that, Daryl. I'm not here because they forced me. This is my home.

"I don't ... Shit! It's complicated, we had to make a deal, but now ... I want to understand, I want to know what happened, I want to hear it from your mouth."

Realizing how hard he was trying, Elizabeth took a deep breath, tracing the back of his hand slowly with her index finger and pretending not to see how his skin prickled with her superficial touch. Somehow, it felt right. As if the two were made to be together, completely in sync. Listening to Daryl's breathing, it was easy to forget the war outside those walls.

— It's complicated too, but I think you deserve to know how I got here.

How they got there, on opposite sides of a brewing war.

Taking a long breath, Elizabeth lifted her head and began to tell the story of how she had killed Beth Greene to survive.


	2. Grady Memorial Hospital Part one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter presents some explanations about what happened to Beth and how she joined Negan, alert to the mention of sexual assault and excessive violence.

**Atlanta, Five Years Before.**

**Elizabeth Greene:**

The first thing Beth realized when she regained consciousness was how wrong her situation seemed. Someone had put her in a car — that was moving fast on the dark road — and if the girl's last memories were correct, it wasn't Daryl who did it.

 _Daryl_. A wave of panic consumed Greene, making it impossible to pretend that she was still unconscious. When she opened her eyes, the girl patted herself looking for weapons and realizing with horror that there was none left.

There were two men at the vehicle's font. The driver's excessively gummy hair practically shone under the headlights coming from outside. Noticing that Beth had woken up, he smiled in a way that made Greene shiver, struck by sudden nausea.   
  
She's covered in dirt, sweat, and walker blood, couldn't remember the last time she'd take a real shower, and didn't even wanted to think about the filth of her own hair. That the stranger was looking at her in such a lustful way through the rearview mirror said a lot about what kind of men he should be.

"Nice to see you back in the land of the living. You were lucky that we found you, one of the dead was keeping an eye on your legs, but I saw them first." He spoke as if it was nothing, and the girl wanted to throw up.

His companion in the passenger seat seemed to pretend she didn't exist, which, given the circumstances, was quite a relief.

— The man who was with me, where is he? — Beth asked, ignoring the driver's disgusting words.

Greene remembered the dead invading the funerary home and remembered disobeying Daryl's command to run to clear the way for him outside. Except that the girl was not as strong as she thought and ended up passing out.

"He died. We almost couldn't save you, I'm sorry."

 _Lie._ That was a huge lie. The awful man seemed so sure about what he'd said that he didn't even bother to sound convincing. And started chattering about the community he was part of. Greene already found it difficult to keep up with the conversation. She felt colder inside at every passing second. What bothered her most was the way he said that Daryl was dead as if Dixon was nobody, as if Dixon wasn't the most important person in the world for her. Dead. That simple. Dead days after Beth said he would be the last man standing.

It took Greene a moment to stop shaking and organize her mind, then she inhaled a deep breath and lifted her head.

— Thanks for the help. You can stop the car now, I want to get out — she spoke, trying to sound as composed as possible, but the high tone in her voice was denouncing how destabilized she felt.

"Look, I'm sorry for your friend, but I'm not going to stop the car and risk our lives. You're safe now". The disgusting driver said, showing her another sickening smile.

Panic, bubbling, and terrifying began to accumulate in the girl's chest, making her dizzy, putting even the excruciating pain she felt in her body in the background. She had to leave. She had to come back. If Daryl were hurt, he would need her help. She was not useful to anyone trapped in the back seat of that car.

— I don't care. I have no intention of being part of your damn community. Let me go — Beth demanded, her voice bordering on hysteria.

Daryl wouldn't leave her without a good fight, and she refused to give in either, but the driver was not listening and seemed equally insistent.

"Be quiet, sugar. We're almost there. Everything will be fine".

Greene quickly realized that her captors were useless and tried to open the carl backdoors. Only to find that both were locked. In between a resigned sigh, she lay down on the bench, lifting her uninjured leg and kicking the window with all her strength. The glass cracked into a misshapen horizontal line, but before the girl could repeat the gesture, the silent man in the passenger seat turned back, digging his fingers in the girl's hair to drag her to him. 

"You little bitch, he told you to shut the fuck up."

— Screw you, let me got! — Beth exclaimed in response, fighting uselessly against his grip. She felt her scalp burning from his nails, and the headache that was once bearable now threatened to consume her completely.

The smile was gone from the face of the man behind the wheel, and his companion looked more impatient than ever, hitting Beth with the back of his hand so hard that the girl's vision went black.

* * *

When she woke up again, it was to the bright light of day coming in through a window and the curious noise of a wall clock ticking. The girl's entire body was hurting, from her scalp to her cheek, from her arm to her ankle that had not yet completely healed from the metal trap of days ago. 

Realizing the hospital room where she was in and her clean clothes, Beth wanted to cry. Because those two things meant that, in fact, she hadn't been able to escape. And now she was in that unfamiliar and most likely hostile environment, with no weapons and no idea what had happened to Daryl.

"I'm glad you woke up. My name is Sherry." A beautiful, tanned nurse with a heart-shaped face said, abandoning the magazine she was reading in an uncomfortable-looking armchair in the corner. 

Greene hadn't even noticed her presence.

The woman had brown hair clasped in the top of her head, and the clean uniform she wore made Beth realize she's dressed in a hospital gown with nothing underneath. Another wave of panic hit the girl.

"Joan, the other assistant, and I cleaned you up when they brought you at dawn. Gordon said you struggled not to come here." Sherry went on contemplatively as if she could guess Beth's fear.

— Which of those bastards is Gorman? The one who commented about my legs before he even asked my name or the one who hit me when I tried to get out of the car? — Greene blurted out angrily before she could analyze her situation clearly.

She was scared. Terrified, actually, and the careful way the nurse looked at her didn't help. Before, the girl would never have spoken that way. Her mother would probably wash her mouth with soap if she could hear her now. Maybe Daryl was a bad influence after all.

Suddenly, as if deciding something in her head, Sherry got up and locked the door, returning quickly to the bed where Beth was.

"We don't have much time before they come back, so you need to listen to me beforehand: Don't argue with Dawn. She's the person in charge, and she'll tell you a lot of shit when she gets here. Just wave your head because she won't hesitate to turn your life into a living hell otherwise. Gorman was one of the guys who got you on the road, and he's disgusting, but if you stay with Joan and me, I promise we'll keep his hands off you. "

Beth was much less naive now than at the farm and narrowed her eyes at the other woman's generous offer.

— And why would you do that for me? You don't even know me.

"You seem strong, and we are going to need a lot of courage to escape this hell."

Before Greene had a chance to ask who "we" were exactly, knocking sounded outside the door, and Sherry got up to open it.

An intimidating-looking police officer in a spotless uniform came into the room, accompanied by Gorman and a man who should be a doctor. This woman introduced herself as Dawn and went straight to the point when she said that, because Beth was rescued and treated, she owed. There were many things that Greene would like to answer, but taking Sherry's comment into account, she just silently accepted.

Beth could see on their faces that they believed she was weak. Maybe before the farm's fall, they would be right to assume that. But not now, not anymore. Not after months on the run and a year calling a prison home. And especially not after the war with Woodbury.

She had lost two homes, her mother, brother, and father, had tried to kill herself, and found a reason to live. She'd killed more walkers she could count and drank for the first time with a man twice her age for who she might be desperately in love with. That was living. Beth wasn't stupid enough to believe she was strong as Maggie or Michonne, but she knew that existed other ways of winning a fight.

 _I'll play the naive little girl, and they'll have a very unpleasant surprise in the end._ Greene thought, knowing that she wouldn't survive there if she wore her heart on the sleeve. 

— I... I want to apologize for freaking out in the car. The man who died, he was family. We lost the rest of our group a few days ago — she said timidly, addressing Gorman.

'' No problem, love ''. He replied, looking triumphant and even more repugnant than before.

Dawn smiled complacently, putting a hand on Beth's shoulder as if they were great friends. 

"You're safe now."

—Thank you, ma'am — Greene murmured, stamping a vulnerable, false expression on her face that she had learned after almost two years of watching Carol wrap everyone she didn't trust around her fingers.

Behind the three of them, Sherry realized what she was doing and smiled conspiratorially.

* * *

Grady Memorial Hospital was run by a small team of Atlanta police officers, who survived the bombs and collected civilians who had not been taken by the evacuations. On her second day there, Beth received a uniform identical to Sherry's and some explanations.

Everyone ate three times a day in the cafeteria, and everything you ate went noted in your account. Five minutes in the shower were available every two days, as the building's supported by solar panels and a rainwater catcher.

The routine was not very complicated to learn. Everyone there had a job. The police officers were to protect the hospital from external threats and bring people from outside. The assistants' job was basically to keep everything working internally.

Greene was never the type to avoid hard work. She's had grown up on a farm, after all. But now, she spent her days cleaning the corridors and rooms and helping Dr. Stevens with whatever he needed. She did her best to decorate every inch of the complex and get away from Gorman.

True to her promise, Sherry was always with her and introduced Joan, a nurse with shoulder-length curly hair and olive skin. Despite the constant vigil, Beth knew it was only a matter of time before Gorman caught her alone and had been preparing for it.

On her fourth day at the Grady Memorial, it happened.

Beth was making the bed in one of the unoccupied rooms, and when she looked up, she noticed the man standing at the edge of the door. Immediately, her eyes search for an escape route, but Gorman blocked the only way out.

"You know, Sherry did a good job playing nanny to you, but I knew that eventually, I would be able to catch you alone."

The girl didn't answer, just stayed in the same place, waiting for an opportunity to escape or for him to leave, whichever came first. Gorman also remained motionless, smiling in that disgusting way.

"Your good girl act didn't convince me, but you seem smart. If you are nice to me, you can have a very comfortable life here. Just between us, Joan is already kind of used, and I will be happy to exchange her for you. , we will both win, I can keep you safe ".

Beth felt the bile rising in her throat. After so much time with the prison men, who would never disrespect anyone like that, hearing Gorman speak of Joan as if she were a broken object made her want to scream in his face until she lost her voice. For the first time since she woke up in that strange place, Greene felt no fear, only anger that damaged her reasoning because she no longer had control over her own tongue.

—I don't need anyone to protect me. I can take care of myself — she replied, lifting her chin in defiance, which was clearly the wrong thing to do since the officer's eyes lit up with interest.

"You are a difficult little thing to tame, aren't you?. But I bet you gave the redneck who was with you at that house a hard time...Don't worry, I'll make you forget about him quickly."

Here was proof that he had been lying in the car. The bastard had seen Daryl.  
  
Daryl, who should still be alive and looking for her.   
Greene's blood boiled. The girl hadn't even realized they were so close, only that she ended up spitting in the cop's face.

— You can't talk like that! You don't know him. You don't know me.

Gorman's response was a slap so hard that Beth saw stars and knew she would need stitches inside her mouth. Despite the dizzying pain she refused to bow her head, Gorman seemed to become even more enraged. Out of the corner of her eye, Greene saw another of the hospital's residents hurrying down the hall when he realized what was going on inside. _Coward_. She thought to herself, tensing her jaw.

"Joan had a big mouth, just like you." The officer snarled, preparing to hit again.

"What the fuck, Gorman ?. Damn it, I already knew you were a sick guy, but hitting little girls, really?". A third person said, stopping in the open doorway.

When Greene turned her face, she realized that a very handsome man had just entered the room. He was also wearing a cop uniform, and his mocking smile showed a set of white teeth. Something about the man's relaxed but dangerous posture reminded her of Rick, and she immediately felt safer.

"Get a life, Clark. This bitch needs to learn a lesson. ''. Gorman growled, still looking at Beth, which seemed to amuse the other man.

'' And who will teach her, you? Oh please, don't make me laugh ''.

'' Why the curiosity?. Are you interested? I can let you have a go with her if you stay away from my business. ''

Greene swallowed hard, feeling her cheeks burn with humiliation, Gorman's words seemed to enrage the man even further, and the smile left his face completely.

"Get the fuck out of here, you fucking son of a bitch, before I throw you out of that fucking window."

"Be careful how you talk to me. You won't be Dawn's favorite forever." Gorman barked, giving Beth one last contemptuous look before muttering _'' This is not over yet ''_ and walking out the door.

The girl locked her jaw, refusing to cry, she was furious, but most of all, relieved. Realizing this, Clark sighed deeply.

"My name is Negan. Sherry asked me to inform you about the progress of her shitty plan."

Beth stared at him, not wanting to give anything away, but Negan just smiled.

'' You didn't think you were the only person in her escape club, did you, sweetheart? ''.

Calmer, Beth could breathe and land a half-smile in the direction of the man.

— Thank you for getting rid of Gorman ... What does Sherry have to tell me ?.

Negan bowed excessively as they walked, and she was forced to suppress a smile.

"I hate that son of a bitch, and I'm happy to help. She wants you to be ready because you two are going to be our distraction. She can't talk with you because Dawn's watching her all the time."

The girl swallowed, feeling her pulse skitter with nervousness, but finally, she decided that she really wanted to escape and ended up nodding, determined.

— Great, I can do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I am not mistaken, neither the series nor the comics gave a full name to Negan, so I decided to keep my weird and invented name '' Brannigan Clark '' with Negan being a nickname;)


	3. Grady Memorial Hospital Part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth escapes from Grady memorial, but at what cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, this chapter was a nightmare to write, even in my own language. The translation is shitty and i feel like i need a two-day nap.

**Atlanta - Five Years Before**   
**Elizabeth Greene:**

When Negan left her alone again, Beth felt her nerves tense. This could be their only chance to escape that damn place, which meant there was no room for mistakes.

After taking a breath, the girl followed through the long corridor in order to calm down somewhere remote before someone came to upset her with some useless task. The pain inside her mouth - which she had completely forgotten while talking to Negan - was back overwhelmingly, and Greene knew that looking for Stevens for a suture would be really necessary.

She was walking in front of the uniform storage room when the distinct sound of someone whistling Johnny Cash's "Ring of fire" stopped her. A closer inspection revealed Noah folding clothes from a pile. The two had not talked much, despite their mutual friends and goals, but when he saw her looking, the boy smiled kindly, approaching the open door.

"You better get in before somebody catches you wandering in the hall. "

Greene nodded and did what he said, closing the door behind her and taking a seat on a bench hidden in the room's corner. Noah grabbed a clean shirt from the pile and handed it to her without saying a word. Only then Beth realized that her uniform's smeared with fresh blood. "We'll get out of this place soon."

The girl accepted the shirt, placing it on her lap and taking another deep breath. She wasn't in the mood to talk, but Noah was so spontaneous that she found herself smiling a little.

"What are you going to do when we leave?".

— I'm gonna look for a friend. We were together before those assholes brought me here, and you? — she asked, feeling her voice unusual because of the wound in her mouth.

The question was valid. They only talked about escaping, not what would happen next. If Noah thought she was stupid for wanting to look for Daryl even though there was a good chance he was already dead, he said nothing.

"I'm going home, Richmond. I lived in a place surrounded by walls. Negan, Dwight, Joan, and Sherry will come with me. The invitation is also valid for you and your friend when you find him".

A wave of gratitude passed through Beth with those words, and she felt her eyes water. It was so nice to hear someone who really believed she was going to find Daryl. But she already had decided that she'll find him, and now Richmond would be a fresh start for both of them. They deserved it.

"It's about 9 hours from here. I can draw you a map when we leave".

— Thank you, that means a lot to me.

"I know what it's like when people don't believe you, but we're going to get out of here."

Beth nodded. They were.

* * *

On the tenth day, Beth was woken up by Negan in the middle of the night. For a long moment, she thought it was Gorman and almost used the contents over the furniture next to the bed to attack him.

'' Damn it, girl, calm down ''. He whispered, moving away from the bed. 

There were more rooms than people at Grady Memorial, so Beth slept alone and made sure to lock the door every night. She had no idea of how Negan had managed to get in.

— What's going on? — she asked, dismayed, jumping out of bed and looking for shoes in the dark.

"We're getting out of this fucking shithole."

Those simple words made the girl's heart race, and she followed the man as quietly as possible out of the room and through the corridors. The hospital was completely dark. Beth asked herself, despite growing nervousness, what time should it be.

The walk to the other side of the building was the longest in Greene's life, and she found the rest of their group in a storeroom near the elevator shafts where Stevens disposed dead patients. The first person she saw was Sherry, bending down and blocking her view of someone else. Noah was in the corner, his face completely colorless and his hands shaking.

— What happened? — Beth asks, not even realizing that Negan had left the room.

When Sherry turned to answer, she noticed the figure curled up on the floor. Joan had one eye completely closed by a bruise that was beginning to turn black, her bottom lip split open, and her pants, with a growing stain of blood between her legs.

Elizabeth felt her body temperature drop several degrees at once, the beat of her pulse swallowing up almost all the noises around her, until Sherry spoke;

'' Gorman and O'Donnell happened. That's enough. We're leaving. ''

Joan didn't even bother to formulate an answer of her own, she looked absolutely broken, and Beth found herself filled with blinding rage. It was supposed to be her there if the group hadn't protected her from the very beginning, and Greene was tired of always being protected while good people got hurt instead.

— We will kill them for that. I swear to you, Joan, they will die.

Her words finally seemed to win the woman's attention because she looked up, much more alert than before. Joan's not broken, and they were going to get out of there.

"Of course we will," Sherry reinforced, looking determined and involving Joan's hand with one of her own before stretching the other towards Beth, who intertwined her fingers with the woman's.

Without further ado, the escape plan began to unfold. According to Sherry, Dwight, and Negan, as they were being "trained" to join Dawn's forces since they arrived there had access to the weapons and were that moment, stealing them. 

Noah and Joan were the oldest residents of the hospital. They knew all the exits, all the entrances, all the weaknesses and blind spots in the building.

Beth and Sherry would be the distraction.

As soon as the group broke up, Elizabeth and Sherry shot in the halls. For days they had been preparing for that exact moment and did everything in their power to make sure things worked. While Sherry watches over the corridor, Elizabeth advances to the fire alarm posted on the wall. She knew that Dawn kept the device's battery always working and broke the glass with the tool placed beside it, pulling the lever down next. 

For a terribly long second, nothing happens. But then a high-pitched, continuous siren begins to sound throughout the building.

Sherry smiles brightly in the girl's direction, and together they move to the point where Noah and Joan have arranged for everyone to meet.

Except that the two end up running against not their friends, but Gorman and O'Donnell.

"What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect that from you, Sherry, but I think I was wrong". Gorman barked, his sickening voice overpowering the sound of the bothersome alarm.

"We already got your boyfriends, and now you're going to pay for the shit you did. That siren can kill everyone in here." O'Donnell said, his ugly face filled with hate.

— I really hope so. You're all just a bunch of cowards — Beth said, without reservation, closing both hands in fists at her sides. She knew she had no chance of winning a fight against the two but damn it. She refused to bow her head to them, especially after what they had done with Joan.

When Gorman raised his hand to hit her, he was interrupted by Sherry's cold laughter.

'' Is that all you can do? Negan is right. You are pathetic, pitiful. Bastards like you should be dead by now. You only survived because of Dawn but out there? You're nothing, and you know it. That's why you work so hard to keep us here. This shitty place is the only one where you have some pathetic power. ''

Each word of the woman made the policeman more and more angry, but when he went to hit her, Beth stepped in, punching him in the jaw with all the strength she had.

— Don't you dare touch her, we saw what you did with Joan, and if you think we're going to allow it to happen again, you're very wrong.

O'Donnell set out in defense of his partner, but then Joan and Noah were already running across the noisy corridor, and a fight broke out.

At some point, between a mess of punches and screams, Beth managed to steal the gun from one of them. In desperation, she pulled the trigger.

The deafening noise of the shot was enough to silence them all. Everyone exchanged nervous looks for a millisecond until O'Donnell collapsed to the ground with a hole in his neck. The shock that took over the rest of the people in the hallway lasted long enough for the rest of Dawn's men to come, too.

They were screwed, with Dwight and Negan stuck and no prospect of escape, until Sherry turned to Noah and said, "Take her and go, now, Noah."

Beth started to protest, but the boy was already dragging her by the back of her shirt. Before them, Sherry and Joan were advancing towards Dawn to distract her.

Beth had no choice but to turn and run.  
  
Their plan had failed.

* * *

Noah guided the way, leading them both to a door practically hidden on a slightly lower level. It was dark inside, and Greene could hear the sounds of the fight going on between their friends and Dawn's cops. Breathing hard, she looked for Noah, but the boy found her first.

"The descent is going to be difficult, yet it's our only option, Beth."

She knew that, if she were caught, she would certainly be executed for what she had done with O'Donnell. However, she only understood the meaning behind the boy's words when he lit a signal stick that she didn't even know he had, illuminating ten staircase floors completely obstructed by shopping carts. Noticing the expression on Greene's face, Noah started to explain;

"In my first week here, the dead almost destroyed this place, but then they blocked the entrance with carts from a supermarket nearby."

The girl had superficially heard how each of them ended up there, Noah rescued, while Dawn's officers left his father to die on the street. Dwight, Sherry, and Negan brought in after the woman's sister died in a fire that almost killed them too, and Joan, who already worked there and ended up trapped when the evacuations began.

— Great — Beth replied, focused, going up the stair railing to access the piles of carts and start her descent to the ground floor. The sounds had stopped inside the hospital, plus it was only a matter of time before the cops realized where the pair had gone.

Determined, Greene wielded the weapon she had stolen, taking a last deep breath before beginning to move.

Each step of hers made a high-pitched noise that seemed to vibrate through the walls, echoing the sound of the groans of the walkers who, without a shadow of a doubt, had accumulated on the lower floors.

'' Damn it! '' Noah suddenly exclaimed, sounding apprehensive. '' How are we going to get past the dead? There must be hundreds of them down there. I hadn't thought of that ''.

Beth forced herself to find a solution for the bitter's waiting. How would they pass by them? With that thought, it was as if a light bulb went on in the girl's head.

— I know how but I have the impression that you won't like it. It doesn't matter. You're going to have to trust me, Noah. My group has done this before, so I know that we'll be fine.

"Beth, what are you talking about?" The boy asked, but to prevent him from panicking, she refused to answer.

— Hold the stick over my right shoulder and trust me.

Without offering any further explanation, she started to descend. Her muscles ached with the effort at every necessary turn. At some point on the eighth floor, Noah caught his ankle in one of the carts, and Greene struggled to free him.  
  
Over their heads, the voices of Dawn's men were furious, calling them both suicidal. Elizabeth wanted to giggle. Just because they were completely useless, it didn't mean that she and Noah were too.

"We'll be fine." The boy spoke suddenly, also disregarding Dawn's men.

When they finally reached the ground floor, covered in sweat and breathing hard, the dozens of living dead waiting below grunted enthusiastically, their dry faces like old, rotten pumpkins staring at them with spasmodic hunger. Beth chose the visibly more decomposed walker because it would be the easiest to kill. She lowered herself over the cart's pile, trying precariously to stay out of reach the dead hands before pulling him by his shirt's collar and munching the walker's soft skull with the gun handle.

" Help me get him up. " She asked, between a tired sigh, and the two raised the walker, Noah's face completely covered in doubt.

Unceremoniously, Greene tore the monster's shirt and started digging over his abdomen. The putrid skin gave way beneath her fingers, a mixture of worms and fetid dark blood pouring from the open wound.

Horror froze the boy's features, but Beth forced him to look at her.

— It's going to be okay, Noah. I met a man who got stuck in Atlanta, and he saved the whole group by doing this, then a woman in the middle of the red zone managed to get to my family like this. 

"I still don't quite understand what you want to do." He spoke nervously.

Greene swallowed and dipped her hands in the corpse torn stomach, lifting that stinking mess over her own clothes and face.

— Just don't let it get in your eyes or mouth, okay?.

Noah's face took on a greenish tint under the red light of the flare. But to the boy's credit, he acknowledged in agreement, allowing Beth to cover him with the dead man's fluids.

Then they had to wait until the walkers lost focus on the two of them to quietly step down from the cart and immerse themselves in the crowd of skin-eaters.

Beth's heart hammered so hard inside her chest that the girl felt like she was about to suffocate. Noah's hands, cold and sweaty, grabbed her hips, and she almost screamed, forgetting for a moment that her friend was there. Greene was never going to get used to that rancid smell of decomposition and excrement marinating amid the rotting meat, she felt her stomach churn but restrained the bile, and an eternity later, they managed to leave for a completely burned part of the hospital parking lot, both panting and shaky. 

* * *

Beth's priority was to get them out of the reach of Dawn's people so they could deal with other problems.

In the safety of another building, several blocks away, Greene finally allowed herself to breathe.

'We left, what now?. We cannot leave our friends there. We know what is going to happen to them, '' Noah protested, and Beth came to admire him even more because even though terrified, he remained loyal.

— Now we start to work in a way to get our friends out of there. We can't leave anyone behind.

'' How? They have weapons. They have people... We would need an army to get our people out.''

Beth's brain worked at full throttle, and when she looked down the street. At the dozens of living dead that circulated there, she ended up smiling, a slow and cruel smile that, until that moment, didn't belong on her face. She felt herself shattering at the edges as if her body were a shell, and the real Elizabeth was starting to wake up to tear her skin apart and get free.

— And who said we don't have an army?.

* * *

Noah followed her orbs with his own and let a completely incredulous and nervous laugh escape his throat.  
  
"You are completely crazy." Then, in a more resigned way, he added '' What I have to do? ''.

Not even Beth knew what to do at that moment, but she was sure she wouldn’t sit idly by. She had already lost a group and was fully aware that no one would help her friends if she didn’t, so she did the only thing that could. Wondered how Daryl would have acted, how Rick would have. 

Well, Rick probably would have inspired an insurgency inside. Daryl would fight until the last one of them surrendered, but Beth wasn’t like that. She was not a leader or a warrior. She was just a scared girl wanting to save her friends.

— We can search the buildings around for weapons, supplies, anything useful, we need to attract the dead, we will have to do this at dawn.

"They may not have until dawn."

— I know, but this is the best we can do for them. I'm sorry, I fucked up.

"Hey, look at me, It was Dawn who screwed things, and we'll make it," Noah spoke, holding Greene's shoulders and lowering his head to face her directly.

Beth couldn't be weak because everyone was counting on her. Taking a deep breath for the millionth time that day, the girl straightened her shoulders and sighed, moving her head in agreement. 

— Of course we will make it. We have no other choice.

* * *

The building's search did not yield many results. All they got was a few bladed weapons, cracked snacks from a destroyed machine, and clean water from a half-gallon in an old office. None of Dawn's men looked for the pair — which was already a relief — probably thinking that they had run away like rats or that they'd been devoured on the way to the ground floor.

Beth and Noah slept for a while, taking watch turns, and when the sun started to set, they decided it was time to go.

Using the herd as a weapon was much easier speaking than doing, especially considering that the only way to invade the building would be to break through the parking rails and enter through the front.

Greene left for downtown Atlanta with nothing but courage, a poorly made camouflage of rotten blood and a remote-controlled children's toy car where Noah had managed to glue two battery-powered speakers they found in a rundown department store. It was a mediocre plan, to say the least, and Elizabeth felt the knots of nervousness in the pit of her stomach when her friend switched on the boxes, firing '' Should I stay or should I go '' to attracted the dead. 

Beth had to stay ahead. Making sure that none of them destroyed the toy as they marched towards the hospital. Walking among the dead was the worst thing she did in her entire life. With each step, she thought she would end up dying horribly, but surprisingly. They managed to get to Grady. Noah, who until then had been following her unseen, came out of the shadows and snapped the padlock holding the gates with a rebar cut, running awkwardly to do the same with the narrow door leading to the first flight of stairs.

When the policeman standing guard on the terrace realized what was going on, it was too late. Noah put down the double doors of the medical wing quickly and dropped the noisy cart he had picked up on the stairs once more. 

Elizabeth felt bad for the people who would inevitably die, but then she remembered how they all knew what Dawn's people were doing and how no one interfered, not even the man who had witnessed Gorman hit her. If they wanted, Grady's civilians could have taken control of the hospital a long time ago.

The dead dominated the corridors like a black, putrefying wave, engulfing the alarmed residents who were beginning to leave their rooms and attract their attention. The screams of those who fell made Beth shiver, wanting to hug herself and disappear. She started to repeat a mantra in her head in an attempt to feel better. They choose the side they wanted to be on. Things are as they are.

Suddenly, Noah pulled her into a broom closet and began to update the plan, taking her head momentarily out of all the terror she had caused.

"I'm going to find Negan and Dwight. I think I know where Dawn put them. Sherry and Joan are probably locked in Gorman's office. You can start there."

Beth nodded, hugging the boy on sheer impulse before they parted. She still had the weapon she had stolen from O'Donnell, and the odds seemed in their favor.

Halfway to Gorman's office, Beth heard the sound of an argument and the voice that undoubtedly belonged to Negan from the corridor where the elevators were. Carefully, she peeked through the double-door window. Shepherd, a blond-haired cop, alongside Gorman. Had Negan with his wrists tied in front of his body and standing near the edge of the elevator shaft.

"This is all your fault." She heard the woman say, furious. "Those motherfuckers are going to destroy our home, but you're going to die too. I'll make sure of that."

Ah, but you really don't. Beth thought, opening the door abruptly with the gun raised, the shot hit Shepherd's head, and Gorman turned to fight Beth, but Negan, still with his hands tied, jumped on him, and the girl ran to help him.

"Shit, sweetheart. I'm so fucking happy to see you that I could kiss you right now." Negan said, squeezing Gorman's throat with his knees and holding the man's arms over his head with his fists tied.

— Please don't — Beth smiled, breaking the plastic ties with a knife she had picked up from the buildings. 

Gorman's face was completely red from lack of oxygen, but as much as she would like to see the son of a bitch slowly die, they didn't have time for that. Beth raised the pistol at the man's head and put her finger on the trigger, then Dawn came in the door, her eyes wide with the scene she had just seen.

Elizabeth saw red. It was all Dawn Lerner's fault. She was the person in charge, the person who should have protected Joan and the rest of them, the person who could have prevented all those monstrosities from happening, but she didn't, and Greene hated her for it.

Negan pulled Beth out of the bullet's way half a second before the older woman's shot, and Gorman rolled on the floor, gasping for air as he raised his hands to his pistol. Negan threw himself at the officer to stop him again. Beth aimed her gun at Dawn.

'' Are you happy now? You destroyed everything we built here. We should have let you rot on that road. ''

— Your incompetence isn't my fault. If anything destroyed this place, Dawn, it was your cowardice. How could you let them do that to Joan? This place should be a sanctuary!.

For a moment, the woman seemed affected by Greene's words, but then she shook her head, blinking a few times with the revolver in hand.

'' Gorman warned me that you were not who I thought you were. I didn't believe him. You can hate me, Beth, but what about the innocent people who are dying right now because of you? ''

Greene felt silent tears streaming down her face. She couldn't afford to think about it now and was doing her best to block their screams.

— You always talk about the greater good. It helps you sleep at night, doesn't it ?. Well, Negan is my greater good now, as are Noah, Sherry, Joan, and Dwight. Everyone who is not one of us is an enemy. That's what will help me sleep at night — she mumbled, turning her face with the sound of Gorman's weapon sliding across the floor until it fell into the elevator shaft. The two men still engaged in an intense hand-to-hand fight.

That distraction second was enough for Dawn to move on Beth, furious enough not to use the gun. She wanted to kill the girl with her bare hands.

Dawn threw Elizabeth against the wall, and it was her turn to drop the pistol, all the air escaping from her lungs with the force of the impact. Lerner punched her in the face, and Greene's ears rang, leaving her momentarily disoriented by the blinding pain.

Greene had no way of winning a physical fight against the officer. All she could do was raise her arms and protect her head. The girl's only advantages were being quick and knowing how to play dirty when necessary. Beth could almost feel the bruises forming in her arms, and when Dawn faltered for a second, she stuck her elbow into the other woman's throat, causing her to choke and stumble back. Beth used that moment to run to the gun, but Dawn was quicker, grabbing her hair when she was fingers away from the object and hitting the girl's head against the cold floor.

Beth rolled her eyes, suppressing a cry of pain. Dark spots were forming in front of his orbs, she could sense her conscience gradually leaving her, but she could not faint because Negan hadn't even won his fight against Gorman yet.

Grabbing the woman's hands with her own, Greene scratched her until Dawn released her, warm blood pouring from her cut skin and staining Beth's hair. The girl rolled on the floor, trying to get to her feet and noticing the dead invading the corridor, probably attracted by the sound of the gunshot and the fight.

Negan acted fast, shoving Gorman towards the dead and pulling Beth behind him. Dawn used the weapon she had to fight some of the walkers, and Greene took advantage of that to retrieve the pistol she had and use her in the woman. It wasn't an honorable or heroic death, but Dawn didn't deserve it. Greene didn't even feel guilty.

That's exactly how Noah, Sherry, and Joan — who were carrying a wounded Dwight — found the pair. They had to kill the dead before their friends were devoured. Noah left Dwight to be looked after by the rest of the group and took a rope made of sheets from a bag he carried. When Negan asked what it was, he smiled shakily, and said "Plan B".

One by one, the group members descended into the elevator shaft through that rope, which Noah ties to the sturdy doors of the corridor, sliding to the bottom full of rotten bodies from the pit. Noah and Joan were the firsts, lighting the way for the rest. Sherry and Dwight followed, and then Negan told Beth to go down.

When she was about to go down the rope with the man's help, he half-smiled with bloodied teeth, making her look at him doubtfully.

"You are a scary little motherfucker, did you know that?".

— Good thing we are on the same side then — Greene replies, with a weary smile of her own before launching into the darkness that awaits underneath.

* * *

Her landing is smooth, her friends are waiting to assist her, and when Negan comes down next — cutting the rope so whoever has survived cannot follow them — Beth contains the wave of relief threatening to consume her because it isn't over yet. 

It doesn't end until they get out of the hospital.

"Gorman's dead." Greene hears Negan whispering to Joan, and the woman nods, looking relieved.

— Dawn too — the girl says, attracting the attention of the small group. Joan approaches and takes her hand.

"Good. She got what she deserved."

A silent understanding passes between them, and the group finally can go through the dark pit that smelled of rot. They moved, guided by the already dim light of Noah's beacon, each step calculated to make a minimum of noise, but even so, Beth could hear the dead who always roamed around gathering behind them in a silent funeral march. The smell of fresh blood on Negan and Elizabeth's injuries didn't help the group's chances either, Joan moved with almost as much difficulty as Dwight, and their pace began to slow down dangerously. 

At one point, Greene was forced to use the last bullets from the pistol to defend her friends and thanked God for all those shooting lessons she had with Rick and Shane at the farm.

Negan and Sherry began to help with the machetes, providing cover for Noah and Joan, who carried Dwight. Beth stood in the rear, trying not to let the pain of her bruises diminish her efficiency. The problem was that they were too many of them, dozens of walkers for each one who was knocked down. There were so many walking corpses on that floor that the group was surrounded by a crowd, attracted by years of bodies thrown into the well, Beth's group was not going to be able to get out.

In desperation, her eyes met Joan's in the partial gloom, and the other woman smiled sadly before dropping Dwight on Noah and taking a step back. Realizing what she was going to do, Beth moved to stop her, but it was too late. Joan had opened her mouth and started screaming.

The dead attacked her at once, advancing with shaky steps and wrapping her body. Greene went into shock and froze in place. It was as if she were seeing Patricia being knocked down on the farm. She could almost feel the late woman's hand holding hers and almost dragging her to death with her.

Her friends all huddled at the door, but Beth didn't even move, her eyes were fixed on Joan's deformed face, the dead were biting her in the arms, in the face, pulling the pieces of flesh from her body, absorbing her until she disappeared from the other's field of vision. When Greene finally came to her senses and moved to shriek at the other woman, she was stopped by Negan, who pulled her by the waist, dragging her kicking and screaming out of there.

Negan covered her mouth with his free hand, continuing to carry Beth halfway through the parking lot, where she finally calmed down. Sherry and Noah managed to take possession of one of the cars and push the others into the vehicle, leaving the Grady Memorial Hospital building now strangely quiet and destroyed behind.

Negan hugged her tightly, rubbing her back in a comforting way. Beth let him. She buried her face in the older man's chest and started to sob.

" Shh, sweetheart, you got us out of there. You did what needed to be done."

She wanted to believe him so bad, because yes, they had escaped, but at what cost?.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dark!Beth at this chapter, and as you all can see, Negan has a huge soft spot for her, which is one of the reasons why he DOESN'T have the wives here, he saw first hand what sexual coercion can do to a person, and also, what's the point in leaving him alive if he would just be a worst version of Dawn, right?.


	4. Grace Under Pressure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On this one, I want to explain how the Sanctuary works and, I also intend to show that things are not so black and white as Daryl thinks.

**Washington - Currently**

**Elizabeth Greene:**

Daryl listened to her story in silence, never interrupting it with unnecessary questions or inquiries. However, when Elizabeth mentioned Gorman and the things he did, she realized that Dixon was gripping the bed's edge hard enough to leave a mark on the old-fashioned wooden frame.

It was weird for her to talk about it. Greene felt like she was describing the events of someone else's life, and in a way, that was true. Grady Memorial had been the woman's breaking point, the place where she had reinvented herself out of sheer desperation to survive and keep her friends safe. Even after all the monstrosities she had committed in the name of perseverance, she still had the feeling that she had failed. 

Coming back to herself, Greene cleared her throat, blinking away stubborn tears that insisted on building up in the curve of her lashes.

— You speak as if the Saviors were monsters, so am I. We came here after we escaped and practically built this place. You can't even imagine the things I had to do. Negan helped me, protected me, kept us all alive, and gave us a purpose. These people are my people, and I will fight for them — she made it clear, facing the man before her with all the resignation that was still left in her exhausted body.

Daryl looked at her as if it brought physical pain to him. As if he couldn't decide whether it was a dream or a nightmare. Moistening his lips, the hunter addressed Elizabeth pleadingly.  
  
"Beth...They killed Glenn. Your sister is pregnant."

The revelation was too sudden, hitting Greene in a way it shouldn't have. But clearing her head, the woman decided that an innocent child was not to blame for their parents' mistakes.

— Maggie will stay alive as long as she doesn't do anything stupid, but I want you to know that many people from that outpost you destroyed had children too.

Dixon squirmed visibly on the bed, shutting himself up for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his voice was more tender. '' I looked for you, I hoped you had gone somewhere, Terminus ... But when we got there ... ''.

— We passed this place — Greene says when it is clear that Daryl will not clarify. She straightens up in her chair and swallows the lump that had formed in her throat. The hunter seemed to expect an explanation, which caused the woman to slide her fingers through her hair.

— It was the first and last time Negan and I fought over something.

* * *

**Five Years Before**

**Elizabeth Greene:**

Road wreckage and agglomeration of the dead forced the group to return a few kilometers before heading to Richmond. Negan was driving. Dwight gained and lost consciousness in the car's backseat because he had been shot in the shoulder. On the run, Sherry had picked up some supplies, but her hands were shaking so badly that the woman was unable to clean the wound or give the necessary stitches.

" Elizabeth. " She called urgently, pulling the girl out of her shock. 

Greene, sitting next to Negan, turned as if she were still in a daze. She could hear the screams of people being devoured on the Grady Memorial corridors, the image of the dead tearing Joan's flesh from her bones carved behind her eyelids. She had done that. And now she needed Daryl to yell at her and make her strong again.

''Elizabeth, please! '' Sherry exclaims, with more urgency, making the girl practically jump on the seat, gradually returning to reality. Her friend's hand's covered with fresh blood, the needle hanging precariously between her trembling fingers.

— Right — Greene recovered her composure, jumping to the backseat. 

By then, Negan had stopped the car to discuss a safer route with Noah outside, and the clear morning light gave the first signs of life in a pale winter sky. Looking grateful, Sherry disinfected the girl's hands, giving her space to sew Dwight's wound. Beth was careful not to get the stitches too close and focused on the task, breathing in and out slowly to calm herself. Those people were dead. She had to move on and take care of who was alive.

Greene fixed a clean bandage over the wound and raised her head only to notice a message written in dried blood on a power box a few meters from where the car's parked.

_**'' Glenn, go to Terminus. Maggie, Sasha, Bob. ''** _

Her sister was alive. Elizabeth was hit by a sudden wave of hope that left her smiling like an imbecile. If the three had survived, then it was very likely that the rest of the group — or at least a good portion of it — could also be out there. _Daryl._

Stumbling out of the car, the girl practically darted to the message, attracting the attention of both Negan and Noah.

— My sister wrote that message — she answered their silent question, tracing the words with her fingertips as if she could reach Maggie somehow.

'' Are you sure?. Maggie is a pretty common name. '' Noah interferes, not unkindly.

— It would be too much of a coincidence to have a Sasha and a Bob with her, and there aren't that many people left.

Negan looked like he was about to interfere, but the teenager shook his head. "Okay, this Terminus is a railway yard. We can go over there on the way to Richmond."

"It's almost eight hours from here. We don't have gas for that, sweetheart." Negan finally intervened, shaking his head.

Elizabeth knew he was acting rational, but it was her sister, and Glenn, Sasha, Bob ... the girl hadn't even sued the loss of the old group, Rick and Michonne and Judith. Thinking about the baby she loved as if she were her own daughter was too painful, every night Greene prayed to God that the little girl would be with someone, protected.

— Okay, I'm not asking anyone to go with me, but I'm not leaving my sister — behind she said stubbornly, marching to the car to get the machete and get out of there. She knew how to handle herself. Both Noah and Negan followed, audibly protesting the decision, but Beth was already resolved.

"Damn it, girl! Get back to that fucking car. We'll find gas on the way. '' Negan exclaimed, and a quick look in the man's direction told Beth how exhausted he was, covered in bruises and cuts, not unlike hers.

— I won't risk your lives. You owe me nothing.

The sound of the car door slamming shut drew attention, and Sherry appeared, arms crossed over her chest and a cold expression. '' You are one of us, Elizabeth. Get in the car, we'll find what we need on the way, and if this Terminus is still up, we'll rest there before heading to Richmond. '' And so it's decided because none of them had enough energy or courage to go against Sherry.

Throughout the journey, Elizabeth clung to the hope of finding her sister, of having a safe place to rest her head that night, of a sanctuary for her friends. At some point during the trip, Dwight woke up, still pale and weak but conscious. Considering how things at the hospital ended, they were lucky to have escaped with their lives. _Not all of us_. Beth thinks, huddled in the passenger seat, suppressing the bitter taste that invades her mouth when she thinks about Joan.

It is Negan who sees the column of smoke first, white and fluttering against the sky. The cold wind carries the decrepit smell of fire and putrid meat into the car open windows. 

None of them had any doubt about what was burning. 

Greene launches herself out of the vehicle in search of a better view. All she needs to do is climb on top of the car, despite Negan's protests, and look ahead. The railway yard burned almost to the ground, the fences fell, and hundreds of walkers roam through space, drawn by the sound of a fight that has long since ended. Beth wants to cry, scream, run over there and search every inch of the place for clues, any trace of her sister's presence, and the rest of the group. She only realizes that she is walking when she is pulled back.

"You can't. It's too dangerous ". Noah says, looking at her as if she's lost her mind.

— They are my family — the girl pleads, seeing everything blurred by the intensity of the torrent of tears that obscures her vision.

'' THEY LEFT YOU TO DIE! '' Negan's shout takes everyone by surprise, but Greene was already shaking her head.

— YOU DON'T KNOW THAT! — Elizabeth yells back, furious, exhausted, and feeling deep inside that he was right.

'' _Glenn_. That's what it said in those fucking messages, Glenn, not Beth. Nobody's looking for you, darling, the sooner you accept that you were left behind by the motherfucker squad, the better''.

— That is not true, Maggie wouldn't. 

But she had left Beth alone on that bus to look for Glenn, even after the girl had begged her not to go, and the messages, in fact, were not for Elizabeth.

Daryl wouldn't do that. He wouldn't just throw me out like that. She thought, crying again when she realized that he might be dead or worse, relieved to be rid of her dead weight.

Daryl may be a good man. But he didn't ask to be stuck with the most useless member of their group.

Greene felt completely devastated. Negan was right. They had really left her behind. She was disposable, replaceable. 

Strong arms wrapped around her when Beth knew she couldn't stand on her own anymore. It was Negan, again.

— They really left me behind, didn't they?.

'' It doesn't matter. You're with us now ''. 

* * *

**Washington - Currently**

**Elizabeth Greene:**

'' I'm sorry that we weren't there. That whole place was a fucking trap. Cannibals''. Daryl said, looking embarrassed after a second of uncontrollable silence. " But...I'm glad you weren't alone. "

For the second time in that conversation, Greene was speechless. She knew how loyal the hunter was and how much he must be hating Negan now for the death of his friends. Clearing his throat, Dixon looked away quickly. 

"We all met again there. Maggie asked everyone about you and was devastated when I told what happened."

It was obvious that he felt guilty for Elizabeth's kidnapping, and when she noticed this, the woman made a disbelieving sound with her mouth, reaching for his hand with her own.

— Daryl, that wasn't your fault. Don't you dare think otherwise for even a second. 

"If I had been faster. If I hadn't told you to run ..." He protested, his thumb gently squeezing her knuckles, bringing tranquility that Greene didn’t know until now. 

— We'd both be dead. It wasn't your fault, and you don't need to make things easier for me. Maggie left me behind, and it's okay. It's been a long time.

Dixon had the look of someone who doesn't agree, but in the end, perhaps out of tiredness, he seemed to decide better and moved his face in reluctant agreement. 

'' What will happen to the rest of Alexandria's people? ''.

Elizabeth released his hand and shrugged. Leaning back, spreading her arms over the side supports of the chair.

— You will have to pay for what you did. We are already even in the deaths, and believe me. You got it easy. Negan will likely require them to rebuild the outpost and start doing the work of the people you all killed.

Just saying that seemed extremely wrong, and she had to suppress a shiver of revulsion. Daryl was silent again. Despite the hatred burning deep in her chest, Greene saw a golden opportunity to be explored there — no one who spent five years under Negan's tutelage escaped without learning a thing or two about manipulation — and sighed, moving the body forward.

— Unless you help us understand why you did that, Negan thinks it was to steal since the building was looted, but I don't believe it.

His sour expression leads Elizabeth to the conclusion that perhaps she wasn't as subtle as she imagined.

"I'm not going to hand over my own group".

— This is your only chance to help them. Negan is not as merciful as I am — she pressed the subject, putting both hands together on her lap.

The man seemed to ponder for a long minute before he gave a defeated sigh.

Daryl then told her about how in a run for supplies, he and Rick saved the lives of a group of people who belonged to a community — Hilltop — and how the leader of that community offered them a deal.

Gregory would pay in supplies for the Saviors to be eliminated, claiming that they were murderous thieves who took things by force. 

  
Daryl made it clear that the residents at the top of the hill had no knowledge of this agreement since Gregory demanded that everything is kept secret.

  
Elizabeth's jaw tightened, of course, that lying snake had demanded secrecy. Without answering, Greene got up and took a map from her dresser drawer, unfolding the paper and dropping it over Daryl.

  
— We were not the first to arrive here, we had to fight for this place, in the beginning, there were several isolated groups, Negan united them all and formed the Saviors, then we expelled the gangs that dominated Washington. We have the river to protect us on one side and the military blockades in Huntington, but these people are still a threat and from time to time, we go to war with them. The communities here pay us in supplies and we defend them from the attacks, we keep these people beyond the blockades, but there is no theft involved.

  
She didn't even know how Alexandria had survived for so long in hostile territory and from the look on Daryl's face, it was clear that the hunter also had no idea. By sheer luck, perhaps.

  
'' Shit! I told Rick, I warned him that this fucking deal was weird. '' He grunted instead, banging his fist on the mattress.  
Elizabeth really wanted to resent them, but it was difficult with what she knew now. Despite this, she looked at him with an impassive expression. 

— Too late.

Seeming to come out of his reverie cloud, Daryl looked at her. " We have innocent people there, Beth, children ... we accepted this shitty deal because we were almost out of food." His voice was pure pleading, and Daryl Dixon never begged. The woman's anger returned with full force.

— Do you want me to talk to Negan and allow you to escape without paying for what you did?.

"We didn't know what we were doing".

— Your group killed one of the most important people in the world for me. I was the one who had to go from door to door in here and tell family members of the people you murdered while they slept that they would never come home again. I won't do you any favors. Your group just hasn't died yet because Negan said so — Elizabeth said, having no intention of continuing that conversation, and got up, walking furiously to the door.

Before she could leave, Daryl's voice reached her ears. '' I was there too. Do you want revenge? It's fair. I'm right here, Beth. ''

Even after everything, she couldn't hurt Daryl, but she also could never forgive him for what had happened. Without answering, Greene started back, slamming the door as she left.  



	5. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to sleep a little, so I don't feel like a walking corpse anymore haha. This chapter is far from good, but it is my favorite on the entire fanfic.

**Washington - Currently**

**Daryl Dixon:**

Daryl snarled a series of profanities when Beth got out of the bedroom, slamming the door and causing a high-pitched hollow sound that rumbled inside the room as if to make fun of the man's stupidity for saying those things to her. 

There was too much baggage between them, things left unsaid and misunderstandings. Despite this, the hunter realized that he wasn't capable of resenting the girl, and how could he? The past five years had been hell, his own mind torturing him in cruelly creative ways with all possible and monstrous fates that might have fallen upon her. And during all this time, Beth had been safe - or as safe as she could be - that in itself was capable of making him forget any grudge, even because he was not perfect, he had joined the claimers on the road, after losing her - after losing  _ everything _ \- didn't he?. 

Grunting, Daryl rolled over on the too comfortable bed, which smelled of clean cotton and apple shampoo, Beth's scent. He was trying not to think about anything the woman had said, especially the damn hospital cops, who, despite being long dead, still provoked a blinding fury in Dixon. 

When his initial contemplation ended, the hunter thought about those who had lost their lives in the execution circle. Abraham, Glenn. The moment Daryl allowed himself to slide, exhaustion and the pain of loss overwhelmed him. The guilt was too much. It was crushing him little by little.

Thanks to Beth, he had received medical treatment. There was no doubt that Daryl would have been thrown into some filthy cell otherwise, and the shot he had taken was nothing. The man received worse before and after the end of the world.

But thinking about Beth, with her bright smiles and her kind words, so close to Negan, with that son of a bitch calling her sweetheart made him sick, and then angry at himself for worrying about it in the first place. What was he? a teenager? Merle would be crying with laughter if he could see him now.

Since the night Beth disappeared, Daryl carried an awful emptiness on his chest, but now she was back, dragging along an avalanche of emotions. 

It was exhausting. 

His daydreams end when a woman suddenly enters the room carrying a tray of food and what appears to be meds in a glass next to it. One of the Saviors stands at the door with a rifle, keeping an eye on Daryl's every move.

" hope you can eat alone because I won't play babysitter. I just came here as a favor for Elizabeth." She says flatly, staring at Daryl as if he were a particularly sticky mess under her shoe. 

Dixon had received that same look many times in his life. It was easy to ignore. The hunter didn't felt the need to talk with her anyway. But she clearly had a different idea because she turned around with her hands on her hips. 

" Honestly, I don't understand why she cares. It's not like any of you worth the effort." The woman says, dropping the tray on the furniture beside the bed.

"Sherry ..." The Savior at the door murmured, in a warning tone.

" You don't know shit. " Daryl grunts through clenched teeth. He knew what those people thought, but it didn't matter because he hadn't left Beth behind, he never stopped looking for her, and even though it hadn't been enough, it was still the truth.

"No, you're the one who doesn't know shit, and if you think you're going to get away with making her feel guilty, or embarrassed, or anything else because of what happened to your friends, you're wrong."

Dixon tried to interrupt. Sherry motioned for him to shut up. "You did this to yourself, and that girl is like a sister to me. Think twice before upsetting her ''. 

"Sherry, enough, Elizabeth asked me to get this guy out of the danger line. She'll be angry with us if she finds out that we were here pissing him off."

This new information was what baffled Daryl. Why had Beth asked Dwight to take him out of danger?. Doubts simmered in Dixon's head until long after the pair left the room.

\---------

In the next two following days, Daryl received more doctor's visits, more meals, and clean clothes to bathe in the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom. On the third, Beth appeared again, looking calmer but exhausted. The room's soft lights illuminated her face when she sat in the armchair in front of the bed, making Dixon notice again how much she had changed. 

The woman had her bright hair on a tight knot over her head and carried a gun attached to her thigh by the holster. There was no more kindness in her eyes, just a new maturity that had undoubtedly been put there by terrible experiences. Her features were severe and tired. The stubbornly cheerful girl of the time after the fall from prison was gone.

" Carson told me that you are recovering well." She said, with calculating calm as if she desperately wanted to hide her emotions. Daryl almost snorted. Despite her efforts, he was still able to read her face like an open book.

He wanted to say a lot of things to her, but in the end, he murmured a  _ '' Yeah '' _ that sounded more like a grunt. Beth nodded, looking ready to get up and leave him there, then Dixon was forced to open his mouth. 

'' Who? who you cared about that died at the outpost? ''. 

She sank into the chair, the only change in her expression being the graceful movement of her throat when she swallowed hard. 

" His name was Noah, and I don't want to know who killed him. I can't know ..." Beth vehemently denied and, to Daryl's astonishment, began to cry. 

She was clearly terrified by the possibility of him being the killer. 

At that moment, the hunter realized that nothing had changed. They were still the same people who had seen the best and the worst of each other during the weeks they were on their own, and the fact that Dixon was still terrible at all that sentimental stuff - he was talking less and less since the road - didn't interfere, Beth was his exception.

'' He shouldn't be there. The attack probably got him by surprise. I had to put him down. ''

'' I'm sorry for not looking for you enough, and I'm sorry that we attacked that place ... I'm sorry, Beth''.Surprisingly, admitting the mistake hadn't been difficult as he thought it would be but, Daryl didn't move towards her, despite the overwhelming desire to do so. 

Greene wiped her face with the back of her hand, moving her head in a resigned gesture. The woman's shoulders trembled as if she was too exhausted to handle it all, Dixon felt the same way.

" I have been sleeping in his room. It is hard to believe that he really died, and it makes me look like a hypocrite for not recognizing how difficult it all must be for you."

He knew what Beth was talking about but wanted to change the subject, so he shrugged, lowering his head. The woman understood because, after a sigh, she said: '' I don't know how Alexandria went unnoticed for so long ''. 

''The military sent people to that place. They had already stored the warehouse to the top with years of supplies, weapons, and medicine. It was supposed to be a kind of base. '' The hunter repeats the explanation Deanna Monroe had provided when Rick's group asked the same thing. 

''Most of them had never left the community until we arrived. Alexandria's old leader brought us in because we knew how to survive. '' 

"It was smart of them," Beth responded, without malice, just conformity. 

Daryl wanted to say more, to comfort her somehow, but Sherry appeared, overlooking him and saying that Negan needed to speak with Beth.

Casting a look that meant an apology in the direction of the hunter, the girl got up and left, leaving him alone once more. 

\----------

The following person to visit Daryl was the same Savior who stood at the door when Sherry delivered his food. 

'' Get up, I'll take you for a walk around the factory, Negan is feeling merciful, and you've been behaving."

" I'm not a fucking dog," Dixon grunted, seriously considering punching the son of a bitch. But he thought of Beth, who was doing everything possible and impossible to make his stay there comfortable and calmed down.

Strangely, the other laughed, motioning for Daryl to follow. "My name is Dwight."

'' Didn't ask your damn name''. 

He wasn't going to cause problems, but neither was he there to make friends. Dwight ignored Dixon's bad attitude to take him through the place, leaving the man stunned to realize how many ordinary people lived there. Before, Daryl had a different image of The Saviors. They were the bad guys, motherfuckers ruining peace for everyone.

The only thing he saw inside the factory were civilians, the elderly, and children. The horror began to consume him from head to toe. What would have happened to all those people had Alexandria succeeded in bringing down the sanctuary? They didn't seem more capable of defending themselves than Olivia or Spencer.

'' Isn't what you expected, handsome? '' Negan's bothersome voice made Daryl turn, facing the leader, who had a devilish smirk on his face and the damn baseball bat resting on one shoulder. "I think we need to have a fucking man-to-man conversation."

Lost in the fantasy about to kill the bastard right there, Daryl took a long second to register what he was talking about, in that dragged and condescending voice. '' I'm listening''. He said, at least, his fists clenched at his sides.

'' Unlike your friend, Rick the prick, I'm not a fucking retarded. I know why she chose you, rather than anybody else on the jackass patrol, for some reason that I'm honestly not sure I want to understand, my girl Elizabeth cares about you. '' Negan started, as much as he seemed unable to abandon that showman facade, there was something like seriousness in his words.

Dixon did not respond but went rigid beside the other man, who had taken his earlier murmur as an invitation to join the tour that Dwight was guiding.

"Now, if it were up to me, we would have ended this miserable life of yours, but I could never hurt her like that, even after the big shit you did."

'' Gregory lied to us about who you all were''. The hunter found himself talking, not out of the need to defend himself but because the idea of Negan questioning Beth's decisions was unpleasant.

" She told me, and believe me, Gregory is going to have what is his for being a fucking rat." The coldness in those words was like a promise of revenge.

Daryl saw Dwight nod as if he were a well-trained pet but paid him no mind. Most saviors looked like fanatical cult members anyway. 

'' What I mean by all this is that I hope you don't cause any problems for her, first, because I won't hesitate to blow your head off like a fucking piñata and second, because Elizabeth doesn't deserve it. Even when we were in that fucking hospital, all she could think about was you. She scaped to find you, to take you to the promised land of safe places. And how do you repay this dedication? Helping your asshole's friends to destroy an outpost full of people that _ adored  _ that girl, including Noah, an absolutely brilliant kid and far more valuable than any piece of shit in your little wank group, a kid she loved like a brother ''. Negan said, his annoying voice carried by the draft inside the building.

Daryl was aware of what had happened, but hearing Negan put it that way sent a wave of unpleasant feelings to his core. He couldn't go back now, or he and Beth would learn to live with the mistakes that each one had made, or they would end up not tolerating each other's presence. That was what he feared the most, to have become unforgivable in her eyes. 

'' ... Despite this shit storm, I'm willing to put a giant rubber on everything that happened and offer you a place here, as long as you do your part ''. Negan went on, completely unaware of the dilemma eating away at the other man's mind.

Daryl knew that the Savior's leader was only doing this for Beth, and he didn't know how to respond. Live there and obey the same man who had murdered three of his friends seemed a disloyal thing to do. 

Fortunately, Daryl didn't have to answer. The man left when called by a middle-aged guy starting to go bald and sporting an unhygienic grey mustache. 

"As I said, he is feeling generous, and you should accept. I can see that you want to be with her". Dwight speaks when the two are alone.

'' Things are not that simple. ''

The Savior remained indifferent. '' Negan's a good leader, he kept us together, turned this place into something big, despite the losses we had ''.

" Everyone lost someone," Dixon murmurs, lost in thought and trying not to remember his friends killed by the same man who wanted him to be playing house in that factory.

"Just think about what he said. It is worth it. you can have a life here".

Daryl quickly turned his neck, completely taken by surprise by the other man's words. He wanted to ask what Dwight meant with that, but he knew exactly what. For better or worse, he had been thinking the same thing since that night at the funeral home, when Beth asked what had changed his mind. As much as a large part of the man felt as if he were betraying Rick and their family, an even bigger one was completely tempted by the idea of  _ finally _ being with her. 


	6. Alexandria Safe Zone

**Washington - Currently**

**Elizabeth Greene:**

When the two women met by accident in the factory top floor hall, Sherry told Elizabeth about the proposal Negan made to Daryl. 

For the first time since the hunter's arrival, she didn't seem to despise him vigorously. 

"I don't think it's ideal," Sherry said, arms crossed over her chest in a defensive and typically Sherry posture. "He will always be one of them, but maybe it can work."

Greene, who had the arm's side propped against the wall, bit her lip and shook her head. — I could never ask him to accept this.

After their enlightening conversation the day before, she'd been able to rest for at least a little while and was now able to breathe without the guilt and grief's weight trying to crush her. 

Sherry laughed as if the other woman was absurd and lowered both hands to her hips. "Oh, honey, I think he already chose."

Elizabeth stared at her with narrowed eyes, confusion evident in every inch of her face, and Sherry's smile then turned into something gentle.

'' I was wrong about your ... _rustic hunter_ , I thought he was just another asshole, like the rest of his friends, but it was just Dwight, and I talk about you that his whole face changed, that man loves you, Elizabeth. Anyone can see that. He would follow you anywhere ''.

Elizabeth wanted to say that it wasn't like that. But she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, her hopes would be completely shattered. Greene had no idea when exactly she'd begun to think about her and Daryl as one. Or when she'd begun to desire him that way. Only that, along the way, in the middle of wars and horrors, it happened.

'' See?. Stop fighting it. You have the right to want things. You deserve to be happy. '' 

— I can't distract myself with this kind of thing right now. We still have work to do. The fight is not over.

"The fight will never end, and what happens in the pauses is our motivation to move on, don't miss your pause." 

Elizabeth shook her head, but secretly, she stored Sherry's words in her mind. The two had organized a memorial for the attack victims at the outpost, and now Greene needed to think about what to do from now on. The woman was aware that she could no longer avoid Daryl, but for now, he was in good hands with Dwight and had everything he needed to recover. So, when Negan announced that they were going to Alexandria, she felt a twinge of uncertainty.

She felt lost in limbo. She couldn't forgive Daryl, but she also couldn't ignore that feeling lodging in her chest every time the man's eyes met hers.

It was complicated and inconvenient and made her feel like a traitor. Before on the road with him, Elizabeth thought it would be just the two of them - and she was at peace with it - and they would fight and fight until they could be together somewhere, find out what it was all about, and maybe build a future.

And although everything went wrong, she was never happier than in those few weeks she had been alone with Daryl.

* * *

"Hey." The hunter announces when Laura brings him to the yard, where everything's organized for them to go to Alexandria.

— Hey — Greene replies, looking at him with some caution. She's exhausted and no longer wants to fight or, worse, repeat the crying session from the last time they were alone in a room.

" Staying here could be worse, but it wasn't, thanks to you," Dixon comments awkwardly, and the woman knows that is his way of thanking her.

She blushes a little, blinking a few times and clearing her throat audibly. Her ridiculous crush was very embarrassing.

— Well, you carried my dead weight during those weeks after the prison, I owed you.

Daryl shrugged. "It wasn't like that, and you know it."

She knew. Daryl wasn't the type of person to see someone as a dead weight. There was too much nobility, too altruism in him for that.

Elizabeth doesn't respond, even though she had become selfish and cruel along the way, the '' we deserve what we take '' philosophy etched in her soul after years of following Negan's leadership, she was serious when she told Sherry that she didn't want to put the hunter in a position where he had to choose between her and Rick's group. Those people were the family Dixon deserved, and Elizabeth loved him too much to take that away from him.

 _I love him_. This realization left Greene completely static for a few moments, and when she recovered, it was too late because Laura already returned to say that Negan wanted her in the main truck.

Arat took Dixon to the back, where the other Saviors had already allocated themselves for the trip. As soon as she gets into the truck — in a tight space between Simon and Negan — she is greeted by a malicious smile from the community's leader.

'' Did you leave your dog behind, sweetheart? '' There is not even venom in his words. It's just Negan being Negan.

— Don't be like that. A little bird told me that you offered a place for him with us. You didn't have to do that — Greene says, keeping her eyes on the road when Simon starts driving.

She knew it must have been difficult for Negan to offer the man who had helped kill his people a place among them. The older man dismissed his words with a wave of his hand. '' Make no mistake, girl. I didn't do it for the goodness of my fucking heart, your dog is useful, and there is no leash capable of controlling him better than you ''.

Greene would have objected because she knew it was not true, but they had a silent agreement not to argue in front of anyone, especially Simon. Sighing deeply, the woman crossed her legs and focused on the trip.

* * *

The Saviors visit was an unexpected event. Rick appeared at the gates with a tense expression on his fatigued face. He seemed to have aged a decade in those days, but Elizabeth forbade herself to feel bad for him because she was feeling awful too, her eyes still red from crying and a hole on her chest for the loss of her best friend. The man's blue orbs narrowed as something like guilt and remorse when they met Greene's, but Negan distracted her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

'' You okay?. You can go back if you want. We are more than capable of dealing with the assholes. ''

— I'll stay — she replied. She had been the one demanding Negan's justice when she returned from the outpost. Evading responsibility now would be pure cowardice.

When the gates opened, however, she didn't think of Noah's gray face, his lifeless eyes and stumbling steps, didn't think of the sister who had left her behind, just left Negan on his mission to make Rick's life hell and turned to Daryl with a decided expression. — I want to see Judith and Carl.

Dixon looks at Negan in a meaningful way, but the Savior's leader is already moving away with Rick. Dixon ends up nodding, and Greene follows him up the street, ignoring the hostile way in which the civilians look at her, as if she were nothing but a monster. Elizabeth can't even feel intimidated. She has already received much worse from more dangerous people and still is alive to tell the story.

Alexandria was a utopian place, with real houses, immaculate streets and a well-kept neighborhood that seemed to have come out of another universe. It was surreal, and Elizabeth found herself looking at everything like a child. Rick's residence was at the end of one of the streets. It was large and apparently spacious, with a polished balcony and tall windows. Despite her rage for the whole deal with Noah, she was also happy to know that Carl and Judith had a good place to live.

Daryl went in first, mumbling something to a spectacled woman who appeared in the hall and didn't seem too willing to let Elizabeth pass. "She's _one of them_. Rick asked me to look after Judith."

Who did that woman think she was?. Elizabeth had _raised_ that child, fed her, and changed her. Lost weeks of sleep when she began teething. She would _never_ hurt Judith. Not even lose Daryl and get traped at Grady memorial compared to the pain she felt the day she found Judith's baby chair covered in blood on the prison yard. Daryl was about to argue, but he didn't have time because a small figure was coming down the stairs. 

The child wore faded jeans and a pink T-shirt, her feet covered in colorful socks made little noise on the floor, and her long brown hair was loose over her shoulders. That little girl was so different from the baby Elizabeth used to sing for in the prison that the woman's heart ached. She had missed all that, the first steps, the first words, absolutely everything.

Her baby girl turned into a young lady. 

"Judith, this is Beth. She was with us at the prison, but we ended split up, and she wanted to see you again."

Elizabeth smiled at the little girl, bending down when she approached. — You won't remember me, but we used to spend a lot of time together.

Judith looked thoughtful for a long minute. She had Lori's delicate features and Carl's chin. Her smile, though, was all Rick. 

"I remember your voice. Carl said that you used to take care of us ".

— That's right — Elizabeth replied, sniffing to hide her tears.

'' Uncle Daryl talks about you a lot. But if you're our friend, why are you with the bad people?. 

The child's question took Greene by surprise, but she recovered quickly. However, it was Daryl who answered, his voice very kind and patient. '' What happened was a misunderstanding, Judi. We're trying to fix it. ''

Judith nodded. She was such an intelligent and perceptive child that the woman felt a twinge of pride. "Will you help us?".

The request disarmed Elizabeth, and she found herself agreeing. Even if a little upset, her love for that girl was far greater than any war or rage she could have. — I promise you that I will do what I can.

'' Okay. I believe you. Do you want to paint with me? Uncle Aaron brought some coloring books. ''

Maggie's arrival prevented Beth from responding. Her older sister quickly entered the house and, perceiving them there, look at Greene with a surprised and alarmed expression. She no longer looked on the verge of death as on the night of the execution circle. Elizabeth didn't even feel relieved by that.

— Next time, I'll paint with you, okay? I'll even bring you some crayons from the place where I live — Greene replied kindly to Judith, who seemed happy enough with her promise.

Noticing the tense atmosphere between the two sisters, Daryl and the woman with the glasses sneaked Judith up the stairs. Maggie's no longer willing to plead for Elizabeth and just stood staring at her in silence. Until that moment, she hadn't even thought about the other woman enough to realize that she was probably there.

— You don't have to look at me like this. I'm leaving. Just tell Daryl not to take too long. Negan's not the most patient person in the world.

The name of the Saviors leader made Maggie visibly shiver. Elizabeth tried not to roll her eyes.

''What would Dad say if he could see you now? ''. The accusation in the older woman's voice made Greene actually laugh, an empty, bitter sound.

— What do you think Daddy would say if he knew that you abandoned me hours after he died?. Even after I begged you not to leave. 

'' I don't...''. Maggie started, looking shocked.

— I have no interest in hearing your excuses, I don't care what you think of me, or you accept how things are now, or we'll have a problem.

Elizabeth wasn't interested in the fact that maybe Maggie didn't know that Gregory had fed Alexandria lies about the Saviors. That didn't change what her older sister had done.

'' You're not my sister ''.

— No. You left your sister to die in that prison, and she did.

Without waiting for an answer, Elizabeth left the house and Maggie there without the slightest remorse. Sherry was much more her sister than Maggie had ever been. When the woman found Negan, who was still with Rick, and asked about Carl, Grimes reluctantly said that he was not in the community and that he wasn't dealing well with everything that was going on. 

"Wow, Rick, you can't even control your own son." The Savior's leader mocked, making the other man red in irritation. Elizabeth was too exhausted to give a damn.

* * *

The trip back to Sanctuary was silent and uncomfortable. Greene's eyelids were heavy with fatigue, but she didn't allow herself to rest. Those hours that she had slept in Noah's room felt like nothing now, after so long thinking about a thousand different things and martyring herself with her traitorous feelings. Seeing Judith had made the animosity between the groups real and worrying. Made her question things that shouldn't be questioned and feel so, so much guilt.

How dare she want Daryl? Want a life with him? How dare she make promises she couldn't keep?. She was so stressed that she ended up snapping at Sherry for no apparent reason when the other woman came to ask her how the visit had been like, and when she asked why Greene was acting that way, the woman exploded.

— Noah is dead !. Thirty of our people are dead, and the people who did it, they ... he ... I can't, Sherry, just...I can't.

She was barely able to assimilate and was so divided, so furious with herself. Sherry hugged her tightly, saying everything was fine and forcing the woman to go to sleep.

* * *

Elizabeth was awakened by a soft knock on Noah's bedroom door. Laura, on the other side, said that Jesus, from Hilltop, was there to see her. Predicting the headache she would surely have, the woman turned a shot of hot, ice-free whiskey from the bottle on the dresser before going to the meeting requested by the Hilltop resident.

Jesus was intelligent, skillful, and above all, had something that most people lacked, common sense.

Luckily, Negan trusted her enough to give her the autonomy to deal with it, and she instructed Laura to lead their guest into an empty room, also asking Daryl to be taken there, Greene had the impression that whatever they would argue, it would be in the hunter's interest.

'' I know how you are, and I'll get straight to the point: This agreement with Alexandria was Gregory's thing. He intended that the Saviors and Rick's people would destroy each other, so he would be free to get a cheaper agreement with the principal group outside the blockade ''. Jesus spoke flatly, earning an incredulous laugh from Elizabeth, to which he responded with a humorless chuckle of his own.

"Yeah, he's stupid at that point."

Because those on the other side were completely crazy, and without the Saviors to keep them away, would easily destroy all the communities there.

'' Wait, did this guy use us to do the dirty work? '' Daryl interrupted, indignant, and Greene had to look away. The idea of dirty work they had was very different.

Jesus nodded at him, but Elizabeth made a gesture with her hand to interrupt them.

— And why did you take the risk, coming here to tell me that?.

Jesus shouldn't even know about the factory.

'' Because you are Negan's rational side, and you can help us solve all this without more people dying. I really am sorry for the losses you had, but I don't want my people, innocent people, to pay for what Gregory did. ''

— I will do what I can but no promises.

"That's all I could ask for."

— You can go home now, Jesus, and I hope you don't talk to anyone about what you saw here or what we discussed.

* * *

Later, after a long-winded conversation with Negan, who said he needed to be alone to think about what to do next, Elizabeth ended up with Daryl on an underused staircase in the Sanctuary, the two trying not to look at each other. Dixon did not mention Maggie even once, although she was sure the man had overheard their discussion in the Grimes' living room.

He just sat on the steps and, with a tired sigh, said that he wanted things to be different.

— Well, we can always start again — she replies, simplistically, letting the man understand the proposal behind her words.

A satisfied half-smile takes Daryl's features, and he nods, allowing his eyes to stare at her for a few moments. "Yeah, I think we can."

She had promised to Judith, after all.


	7. If You're Losing Yourself, Then My Body Is Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing smut is a nightmare in my own language, translating it to English was even worse. I wanna claw my eyes out.

**Washington — Currently**  
**Elizabeth Greene** :

The next day starts too early and marked by an event that Elizabeth wouldn't predict in a million years; Carl's appearance. No one had any idea how the boy had managed to find out the Sanctuary's location, and most importantly, how he had arrived there without being killed. Two security breaks in two days proved to be an exhausting and worrying event, with the factory residents walking on the edge of anxiety. 

If Carl and Jesus had managed to infiltrate their carefully structured defenses so effortlessly, what prevented those on the blockade's other side from doing the same?. 

Laura led Carl to where Greene was. Sherry and Dwight were too busy dealing with the new community crisis and assuring everyone  
that everything was fine. Negan had more important things to do; The consequence of Gregory's betrayal had yet to be decided and most diplomatically. No one wanted to end with another war in hands. The saviors already had too many enemies. 

'' I'm sorry if I scared someone breaking in like that. I just wanted to talk with you ''. Carl apologized, looking genuinely sincere as he entered the unused room. 

Elizabeth tried not to distracted herself with how much older the boy looked. The young man before her couldn't be more different from the little boy she adored so much. In the executions night, she had been too focused on her mourning and the sock of facing Daryl again so abruptly to recognize Carl. 

— Do you mind telling me how you did it? For me to calm my people.

Color filled the boy's cheeks, but he cleared his throat and replied: '' I Followed Jesus ''.

Elizabeth found herself holding back a smile. Older or not, Carl was still the same stubborn and smart boy who she knew and loved. During all those years, she never worried about his survival. If someone could thrive in the new world, this person was Carl Grimes. 

"I know that what we did must be difficult for you, and I'm sorry about your friends. ''

— You're still a child — she says, but the boy shakes his head negatively.

'' I stopped being a child a long time ago, a lot of bad things happened, Beth, but it doesn't have to be like that always ''.

— Why are you here, Carl? — she questioned, not understanding the direction that their conversation seemed to be taking.

'' Seeing you the day Negan killed Glenn and Abraham helped me understand that every story has two sides. It would be easier to hate you without thinking that the people we killed had families too. 

Carl's maturity surprised the woman. He was different. She remembered a vibrant kid turned into a boy marked by the violent acts he'd witnessed. Elizabeth always knew he would survive, but she feared what Carl could become if he kept following the dark pat of killing in cold blood he started at the prison. 

— They were. Many had family here, brothers, children, parents. Several saved my life in the past, and one of them I considered family — Greene admitted, swallowing hard. Talking about Noah still was hard. He'd been her moral compass for years, her best friend, her  _ brother.  _

Carl pursed his lips. He had half of his face covered by a bandage, and when the boy saw her looking, he sighed. 

'' One of Alexandria's people did this. The walls fell one night after an attack we suffered, and this boy, I thought he was my friend. We scaped together, but his family didn't make it, and he blamed my father, tried to kill him. When he missed the angle, his shot hit me in the eye ''. The hurt in Carl's voice was something that Elizabeth could feel. 

His group had had a rough time too, Greene didn't want to sympathize too much, but she cared about that boy. He and Judith had been her whole world after the farm. The kids needing Beth was one of the things that pushed her out of her suicidal shell. 

— I'm sorry it happened to you, baby. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I tried to find my way back, but it was too late. When I reached the terminus, there was no sign of you guys. 

'' Actually, it's a relief to hear this. We spent years frightened by the idea that they had caught you. Dad was afraid that Daryl would never be the same. He started to talk less and less since your disappearance. Judith's the only one that can make him smile now. '' 

Elizabeth could sincerely say that she felt the same. After Daryl, it was like someone had cut the joy out of her. Everything became about survival, about keeping her people safe at any cost. The love she held for the caring man she got to know during the weeks they spent together was the kind that burned down the whole world.

— I love him very much, and I hope that he makes peace with the person I had to turn myself into to survive. God knows that Maggie won't.

Carl rolled his eye at that, his whole face turning into a certified Rick Grimes frown. '' She'll come around. We all got pissed at her for those messages without your name. ''

— Don't be mad at my account, kiddo. I'm ready to forgive — It wasn't like Maggie's leader had killed Beth's true love, and after all the shit she'd done, it would be hypocritical of Greene to judge the other woman. 

'' See?. That's why I'm here. Our groups went through a sea of shit, but we're still here, and I think that together we can achieve incredible things. I want this for Judith. I need this for a family you're still part of ''. 

Carl Grimes was a visionary. That was explicit in his words, in the way which he expressed himself. However, an idealist's dreams were difficult to apply in a world as destroyed as theirs. Elizabeth loved the possibility of peace as any sensible person would, but she worked with reality. There was too much at stake for risking even more losses. 

— It's a beautiful view, but I don't think our groups can work together after what happened. I won't make promises I can't keep.

'' It will not be simple ''. The teenager admitted, without letting himself be defeated. 

'' Do you remember the prison?. My father said that, would be easier for us to kill each other, then he offered peace to the governor. The governor refused and murdered Hershel. We can't let this happen again, no if we have the power to change things. I talked with Jesus. He said that Negan listens to you ''. 

The amount of faith Carl had in her was horrifying. The boy risked his life for a conversation. Elizabeth refused to be the person that didn't listen. She remembered Dawn well enough to know what incompetence may cause. 

— I'm Negan's second, but he thinks that your whole group left me to die, and Rick murdered a lot of our people while they slept. I can't take your side in this. He needs to decide for himself. Negan needs to feel that your father won't stab him on the back in the first opportunity. We already have too many enemies.

'' I'll talk with dad, try to put some reason on his head. All I'm asking is for you to do what you can ''.

— Well, I already promised Judith. 

Elizabeth's words brought some reassurance to the boy, and he smiled, leaning to hug her tight. She asked a lunch from the kitchens and ordered an escort to take the teenager safely back to Alexandria after. She had a lot to think about. 

* * *

When everything calmed down, all Elizabeth wanted to do was sleep until the next decade, but of course, she couldn't. 

She went into her bedroom instead, planning to talk with Daryl about her conversation with Carl, but when the woman got there, she heard the sound of the shower running under the bathroom door. Greene paused for a moment, torn between wanting to come back later or join him. Finally, the second option won. 

Bitting her lips in a contemplative way, Elizabeth discarded her shoes and opened the door slowly, closing it behind her after. The steam inside was so thick that she could barely Daryl inside the shower box. However, he must have heard her come in because the hunter turned around, his face full of surprise and something else that she couldn't immediately identify.

Allowing Daryl to expel her if he wanted to, Elizabeth removed her shirt, exposing her pale and tattooed torso. The rose bushes started at the beginning of her back, stretching around Greene's arms on dark-colored stems. Roses in a deep-crimson shade were below her ribs, leafy branches and thorns descending to the prominent hip bones, opening into realistic petal flowers on her tight sides. 

Dixon seemed barely breathing and was still staring at her. The woman got rid of her pants next, pausing for a millisecond before taking off her bra and panties too. There was nothing sexy about her movements. Elizabeth was exhausted, and her joints ached terribly. As he said nothing against it, she entered the box completely naked. A silence filled with tension fell heavily between them. Greene could feel Daryl breathing loudly, his eyes, in a dark, stormy shade of blue, consuming every inch of her exposed body. From the narrow shoulder to her small breasts and flat belly. 

Elizabeth never was the voluptuous or athletic type. She was small and skinny, but there was no shyness there. They knew too much about each other. They had exposed their very souls on that abandoned shack in the woods, and none of them had run away after. They  _ belonged _ together. 

Each second seemed to last an eternity. 

When Dixon sighed as if having a dilemma with himself and turned his back to Elizabeth, too afraid to face her, the woman took a step forward, wrapping his torso with her arms and resting her face between his shoulder blades. The shower's hot spray of water surrounded her like a blanket, undoing the stress on her muscles, Greene was finally able to breathe. Elizabeth places her forehead on Daryl's back to trace the whitish scares extending themselves across his skin with her lips. Despite feeling him tense under her, she doesn't stop. The woman knows that the deep marks were caused to him in childhood by an unfit father. Daryl's posture is so stiff that she knows that the hunter had forgotten that the scars were there. 

— In my first winter here, some people stole all our supplies and set the factory on fire while we slept — Greene began, diverting his attention from the scars to ease the tightness in his shoulders.

— I took as many people as I could but ended up getting stuck in the gravel. Paula, the leader of the Satellite tower outpost, came back for me and dragged me out. We hunted down, killed, and put the robber's corpses around the factory. Beth Greene died in that fire. These roses are a memorial to her. 

She had given up in the last remains of her humanity. She left behind all her old hopes off a sunny world with birthdays, picnics, and holidays. Elizabeth's skin was misshapen and strangely discolored beneath the beautiful designs, a perfect reflection of who she'd become. However, her soft voice was what finally made the hunter look at her over his shoulder.

— This world tried to end me, just as it did with you. But we survived, remember when I said that you would be the last man standing?. 

Daryl looks at her with despair, all the pain and resentment he kept so well hidden leaking through the edges of his expressive eyes. '' I never wanted to be the last man standing, not if it means losing you again ''. 

— You won't lose me. I promise you, Daryl Dixon, I'll love you until my last breath, and I will always,  _ always _ be with you — Greene stated, touching his jaw with her fingertips. It was so good finally being able to say those things out loud. Nothing could describe the joy Elizabeth felt for having him back for knowing that he loved her in the same hopeless way, even with what she had become.

Daryl was staring at her wide-eyed, and she joined their lips in a chaste kiss for a whole second before he turned, pulling her against him under the water. Greene gasped into his mouth, throwing her arms around his neck. Their kiss became demanding, with Daryl settling one hand on her lower back. While the other slowly caressed her breasts, oscillating between gently pressing them and rolling the tight nub of her nipples between his rough fingers. The friction made her skin prickle in a way that seemed to echo directly between her legs.

Elizabeth pressed herself against his solid body, feeling the evidence of his arousal pressing right against her stomach. It all seemed so right, from the way their tongues sought each other, requiring more and more, to the almost euphoric sensation accumulating inside her chest with every little touch.

She wrapped her fist around his shaft, closing her fingers in a steady circle around his length before moving them in a provocative caress earning a hoarse groan in response. Daryl turned the woman around abruptly and pressed her back against the icy tile wall. The contrast between that and the almost scorching water temperature against her sensitive skin made Elizabeth lean her head into the slab, completely breathless. She could see her desire reflected in the hunter's eyes. 

They were even closer that way, with Dixon resting his cheek on the curve of her neck and sliding of his hands across her belly, his index and middle fingers accomodating between her legs to separate her wet folds. The woman exhaled hard, the need to feel him completely tightened in her center, pulsing with every heartbeat. She sought his mouth for another tender kiss, lifting one of her own legs and using her fingers to guide him to her entrance. Daryl held both of Elizabeth's hands with his own above her head as he moved his hips forward, thrusting inside her inch by inch until their pelvis touched.   
  
Greene gasped, feeling her inner walls expand to accommodate him. The hunter was breathing fast too, his forehead pressed against the woman's and his eyes almost closed. They both needed that, the certainty, their bodies moving as one under the hot shower. Elizabeth pressed her inner tight against his hip, her shaking hands wrapping around his torso for balance. He conceded it by lifting her up against the wall, his strong hands gripping the woman's thighs hard enough to bruise. 

The sounds of their husky voices and their bodies colliding with each other filled the room. The water went cold, taking them both by surprise, but they didn't stop. Elizabeth had hugged him fully at that point, her legs around his waist and her heart beating too fast inside her chest. The woman tangled her fingers in Dixon's hair, her skin shivering even more from water's low temperature. Her mouth opened in a silent scream each time the man snapped his hips against hers, reaching all the tender spots inside her body. 

'' Beth. '' He groaned when her nails found his back, desperately needing to cling into something real because that sensation was killing her little by little. It was too much, slow and sweet torture that made her feel like she was about to leave her own body. 

— Ah, Daryl — she sighed with a broken voice. 

The shower set against the waste of water turned off completely, and Daryl moved out of the stall, carrying Elizabeth on his lap back into the bedroom. When the man sat on the edge of the bed, she pushed him against the mattress, straddling his hips. Greene could feel him so deep inside her that there was barely room for anything else. Her hands landed on the man's chest, and he set his on her hips, beginning an exploratory journey through every inch of her skin until the tattoos outlining the curves of her breasts. 

Elizabeth put her hands over his, breathing hard as she moved above his body, her clit grinding against his pelvis with each movement, triggering a series of pleasurable shivers and the sensation in her lower abdomen indicating that she was close.

Their orgasm took her by surprise, first her, falling apart and clamping hard around him. Then, Daryl, digging his nails on her skin and emptying himself inside her. They were both unraveling themselves in a sea of sensations and low murmurs. Exhausted, Greene climbed off him and collapsed beside the man, immediately enveloped by the hunter's warm, firm arms.

He stroked her damp hair and nuzzled against her neck, making Elizabeth giggle like the idiotic little girl she wasn't anymore. 

It was as if something had resolved between the two, and well, there were much worse ways to end the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too many adjectives. Reading this, you can totally understand that I'm very virgin in heterosexual sex and that I never went anywhere near a dick. Sorry? hahaha


	8. Under Attack

**Washington - Currently**   
**Elizabeth Greene:**

The emergency siren's tumultuous sound echoing through the factory walls was what woke Elizabeth from a deep sleep. It was almost like she were back at the Sanctuary's initial days when attacks happened almost daily. That was what the repetitive, loud noise meant: An attack. 

Still enveloped by the fog of sleep, Greene jumped out of bed without caring for modesty, pure instinct motivating her to move quickly. The woman kept some weapons on a false bottom under the bed and removed them effortlessly, handing Daryl a rifle. The hunter was alert and already fully dressed at her side, so she put on the first clothing pieces she could find and left the room with him. 

In the corridors of that floor, people moved from one room to another. Greene passed by Arat, leading the few children and the elderly to a safe place built after Negan's rise as a leader. The two women exchanged a meaningful nod when they crossed, and Elizabeth sprang down the stairs.

— They can get here anytime. The alarm tells us that our attackers are about a mile away - she explained before Dixon had a chance to ask. — We have a small and hidden outpost near the new border of our territory with theirs. The watchmen warn us of any suspicious activity, and if another post confirms this, they sound the alarm. 

"Beth, wait," Daryl says and stops them both in the middle of the flight of stairs, blocking the passage of dozens of terrified people who try to get off the floor as quickly as possible. The concern narrowing his face is so deep that the woman finds herself in the middle of a sigh. God, did things have to get complicated now that they're finally together? It seemed like a cruel joke of fate.

'' And how do you know it's really those guys on the block's other side and not another group? '' Dixon questions her after a second.

— They are the only group besides Alexandria with whom we don't have an alliance. And I don't think Rick is stupid enough to risk an attack right now.

"He wouldn't." Daryl immediately agrees, his blue eyes studying her with that same intensity that always made her knees go weak.

Elizabeth wanted a chance to talk with him about what they had done the night before, but there was no time.   
However, when Dwight, with whom the hunter appeared to be in civilized terms, appeared, calling him to help downstairs, Dixon surprised her when he touched her face with an open palm. 

"Be careful. I don't want to lose you again."

" I'm not going to let anything separate us," Greene replied, placing a hand on the man's neck before kissing him. His lips were a little dry and had a taste that was becoming deliciously familiar. 

Too soon, she had to part from him and leave.

* * *

  
She found Negan in the courtyard, shouting orders and moving with a nervous energy that made everyone around him stay alert.

  
"The fuckers took down the post we had near the border, Neil told me over the radio before some son of a fucking bitch fucking killed him." He informed, his expression devoid of the typical acid sense of humor.

— Fuck! — Elizabeth found herself exclaiming. Her mind was working so fast, searching for a solution that she felt dizzy. As always, Sherry proved to be the pillar on which they could lean on.

'' Keep your shit together, you two. We'll find a way. We didn't make it this far to die like this ''. The woman said, completely resolute of her words. 

For the Sanctuary's sake, Elizabeth hoped Sherry was right.

Negan took a last look at both of them and left to keep spreading orders. The Saviors had set up a defense line behind the building fences, snipers on the platform communicated over the radio what they could see from above, and someone had already turned off the alarm, so the walkers attracted by the sound were quickly killed through the bars by a second team.

'' A herd is coming, five minutes from our gates. Jesus Christ, there are hundreds of these rot pieces of shit ''. One of the watchmen said over the radio, and Elizabeth quivered. 

They couldn't even go outside to redirect the bitters, which raised a question; what the hell their attackers wanted with something like that?. It just wasn't their style. 

Greene had nothing else to do, so she began to help the people assigned to deal with the courtyard's situation. It was unlikely that the walkers put outside the fences like guard dogs could help against a herd that size. 

— Focus on keeping the distance between the dead and you. If the fences fall, follow the security protocol; go inside the factory, and we'll handle everything from there — Elizabeth said, keeping her voice carefully neutral. The last thing they needed was collective hysteria.

"The scouts must be solving everything by now," Arat spoke up abruptly, seeming more concerned with convincing herself.  
Something was telling Elizabeth that the scouts weren't going to save them this time, and she focused on making sure she had enough extra ammo.

'' A minute and a half ''. The man on the radio said, and Greene could hear the dead now, their grunts, the sound of the stumbling footsteps. She could see the dust rising on the road that led to the factory. When the herd finally reached its target, things happened quickly.

Greene saw the dead but realized with awe that they were not the real threat while one of the things threw something that, seconds later, turned out to be a homemade bomb.

'' BACK, EVERYBODY GET BACK ''. The woman overheard someone screaming, and then the gates shattered.

The bomb hadn't even been the worst damage. Molotov cocktails now burst onto the asphalt in succession, coloring the factory yard with orange flames. Some of the bottles hit saviors, and their frantic screams fueled the dead's hunger, who now had a clear path to penetrate the place.That infernal landscape left Elizabeth paralyzed and with the impression that she had gone mad. There was no way the walkers had mastered guerrilla tactics, but she had seen it. 

Greene shook her head in denial. Her eyes must have played a trick on her because of all of that stress. That was the only plausible explanation. Their attackers probably were camouflaged among the dead. But camouflage made with walker blood never worked that way. Bitters noticed any abrupt movement.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Elizabeth launched all those questions out of her mind. She couldn't afford to have a mental breakdown. Finally getting back to action, the woman coordinated those who hadn't hit to form a defense line in front of the building. Her ears were still ringing from the explosions, and in the chaos, she saw Negan hollering instructions over the walker's noise and the crackling fire. Greene fought her way to the fire escape's end, asking herself where Daryl, Dwight, and Sherry might be. 

Focus. She snapped at herself, entering a dazed state that consisted of stabbing the walkers in the head and keeping an eye open for more disguised explosions. Elizabeth kept repeating in her mind that it was the camouflage that made the attack possible. The other two possibilities seemed too terrifying; undead that could fight or the groups on the blockade Otherside learning how to use herds like an even more lethal weapon. When a path opened up through the dozens of walkers, Elizabeth saw Daryl, breathless, and forcing his way to her. Dwight followed behind, covered in filth and blood. The relief Greene felt was so immense that she almost collapsed on the asphalt. 

'' Negan is collecting our people. He wants you to take the red truck and drive the rest of the dead away from here. The snipers on the roof will cover you. '' Dwight said, and the woman immediately agreed, moving to the side of the yard they used as a parking lot without a second's hesitation, still in that same automatic state of survival. She was always the fastest, anyway.

Daryl interrupted by touching her arm and looking at her in disbelief.

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to let you do this alone."

* * *

Elizabeth understood the plan without even fully listening to it. She'd done this before. Multiple times Greene had to attract as many walkers as possible away from the Sanctuary, allowing the Saviors to kill the strays and help the injured during the attack. 

With Daryl's help, she was successful at first. She drove accurately, keeping one hand on the truck horn as the hunter tapped the vehicle sides through the open window to attract even more walkers. Apparently, she wasn't the only one with experience dealing with the dead like that, and thinking about how many times Dixon must have flirted with death during the years that they were apart brought her a chill in the belly. He was very reckless. Elizabeth would go crazy if she lost that man again.

The pair's victory was short-lived because a few kilometers later, the tire got flattened, and Greene had to pull over. They had a few minutes of advantage over the dead, and she ignored Daryl's protests to get off the truck and see what she could do.   
Too many people depended on that plan's success, Elizabeth couldn't afford to make a mistake. 

She was so worried about the situation that she didn't notice the figure sneaking through the tall grass. Only when it was too late that she saw what at first looked like a walker attack her with a machete. When the sharp strike ripped off her blouse's top and hit her shoulder, making a deep red stain spread over the thin fabric, Elizabeth had half a second to raise her hands, disastrously trying to defend herself, before her attacker hit again. An awkward kick made her aggressor miss the second stroke. 

They didn't have the opportunity to try again because Daryl already shot an arrow in the space between their eyes, barely giving the corpse a second glance before focusing all his attention on the injured woman, who held her shoulder, panting. In silence, Dixon examined the wound, grunting as he turned and kicked the corpse as if he could kill it again. '' Son of a bitch ''.

Despite the pain, Elizabeth began to laugh at the situation's absurdity. The cut was superficial. It would probably need some stitches but nothing that she considered a risk to the task accomplishment. — I'm fine, you saved me — she thanked, approaching to examine the body lying on the road.A close look allowed Elizabeth to realize that it wasn't a walker, but a very human person, wearing a mask. A walker mask. 

— That's what I saw. These people were in the middle of the herd, throwing Molotov cocktails at us.

"Let's get the hell out of here before any more of those assholes decide to show up," Daryl muttered, strangely thoughtful.

The woman nods, turning to scan the truck for anything they could use to disperse the dead, who, beyond a shadow of a doubt, were right behind them. Dixon quickly turned to help her, casting an anxious look at her lacerated shoulder. '' You shouldn't be here. That was a dumb idea ''.

— They attacked my home, Daryl, my people. I didn't survive until here being a delicate flower — she mocked in the last part, getting an annoyed '' Tssc '' from the man.

Dixon opened the back of the truck to reveal their plan B, a pair of racing bikes. Negan always thought of everything. While Elizabeth made an improvised bandage on her shoulder, Daryl filled the motorcycles with gasoline from the truck. 

'' There's a quarry a few kilometers from Alexandria. The soil was already giving in when we had to get rid of the dead there, a few months ago. It should be easy to make these fall. ''

— But what about Alexandria ?. There is no point in sending them all there instead — Elizabeth questioned, not because she cared all that much, but because she knew Daryl did.

He shrugged. "Nah, there are not that many. Those who didn't crash in the fall won't be able to pass the old cars that we put there ".

Finding no better alternative, Greene gave in.

* * *

When the two returned to the community hours later, with a skin mask and numerous questions, the order had already settled in place. There were no bodies in sight, Saviors repaired the fences, but the yard still was covered in blood and dark stains where the fire had hit. The Sanctuary's doctor was too busy caring for the injured, so Daryl sat Elizabeth on the stairs to sew her shoulder himself with a first aid kit.

'' I have awful news ''. Sherry stated as she approached the couple. For the first time, she seemed to recognize Daryl's existence without wrinkling her nose.

Greene, who had only heard bad news since she opened her eyes that morning, looked up and answered with all the sarcasm he managed to muster. — Surprise me.

'' Something happened to the group you sent to Alexandria. They asked for help on the radio, but before we could answer, everything was quiet and, that boy who came to see you, Carl, we checked, and he didn't make it til home. ''

'' Carl was here? '' Dixon questioned Elizabeth, interrupting the suture he was doing.

— Yes, I was going to tell you this yesterday, but I ended up forgetting — she replied calmly, appreciating that he had the decency to blush a little.

'' We need to find him. He's just a kid ... ''

Like her, Daryl loved Rick Grimes' children as if they were his own, and the woman touched his face with tenderness. — We will find him, and he will be fine. I promise.


	9. The Girl From Nowhere

**Washington - Currently**   
**Elizabeth Greene:**

Elizabeth refused to wait until the next day to start the search. She couldn't risk. Carl depended on them. 

After using the radio to tell Rick what happened, Greene organized a mixed group between Alexandria and the Sanctuary to look for the boy and the group that disappeared with him. Any other time, the two communities working together so peacefully would be the cause of a big celebration, but not with Rick seeing absolutely desperate, and certainly not with the missing people's families going after Greene for answers. 

Elizabeth and Daryl formed a duo, following the partially erased tracks on the route the woman knew the group with Carl had taken. They moved with silent efficiency, practically anticipating each other's actions, but the search was long, exhausting, and it seemed to led to nowhere. The tiredness of the previous mission slowed Elizabeth's pace. Her wound throbbing painfully with each step. 

The only thing keeping her in action was the urge to find Carl and the others, just as when she'd escaped from Grady, covered in bruises from head to toe but determined to save her friends. 

When Elizabeth was about to ask for a break, something occurred to her. — Who kidnapped them attacked us too, and is responsible for that herd, right ?. That means they collected the dead near the factory.

'' So all we need to do is find a good number of walkers ''. Dixon concluded for her, nodding his head in agreement. 

It proved easy to say than do because the walkers had somehow vanished. Greene got frustrated. She was tired and worried about the factory situation. For years, the group on the blockade's other side had not dared to attack like that, and, as they moved more and more towards the new frontier, the woman wondered what had changed, what had given them this new confidence to challenge the saviors apparently without fear of the consequences. 

''Stop. I can hear thinking from here ''. Daryl mumbled, his face lost in concentration as he studied the scarce tracks. 

— Something big is going on, something I don't know if we're ready to face. 

If Dixon was nervous about the prospect, he didn't show it, only shrugged dismissively. '' We weren't ready for any of this shit, and we're still here ''. 

His argument was a valid one, and Elizabeth was grateful to have him there with her because all that stress was more than she could handle alone. However, when she vocalized this, the hunter looked at her with wonder.

'' You're stronger than you think, always were. '' 

— You didn't seem to think so when we met again — she replies, even though she knows that this is not the time for a discussion.

Daryl stopped what he was doing to look at her, his face full of a resigned and exhausted expression. "I didn't know shit."

— And now you know, we both do - Greene agreed, approaching him.

She had concluded that if the two groups remained in battle as they were, it would be much easier for the bandits on the other side of the blockade to exterminate them all. And she would make sure to tell Negan that. Daryl seemed to read her thoughts because he drew the shadow of a smile and leaned over to kiss her.

* * *

After much searching and effort, luck finally seemed to be on the duo's side because, during the early hours of the dawn, they located a horde and followed it.

The walkers moved continually, leading the pair to believe that no one was leading them this time. Which, considering it was just the two of them there to deal with whoever appeared from the enemy group, was good news.

Elizabeth felt her limbs heavy, tiredness burning the speed with which she moved. Daryl noticed the woman's condition and said nothing. When he identified tracks that did not belong to the dead, the pair ran into a slim figure in the dark forest.

Carl. 

The three stared at each other for a long moment without saying anything, too shocked to find their voices. The sound of a branch breaking in the dark ended the stupor, and Elizabeth raised her gun, identifying a second person through the crosshairs. There was a girl right behind Carl, a lanky teenager with big, terrified brown eyes and a face covered in dirt. The fingers of her left hand held the boy's shirt as if she was afraid he was going to disappear.

"This is Lydia." Carl introduced, shielding the girl with his own body. "And she won't go back to them." He added, with the confidence of a man who would do anything to honor those words. '' They killed your friends. I'm sorry, Beth. I couldn't do anything. ''

Greene assumed that '' they '' were the same people who had attacked the factory and nodded, appalled at the news of the Saviors' passing. It was her fault. She had sent those people straight to their deaths. But, as she knew it was better to break when she was alone, she just blinked the tears away.

  
— Of course, Lydia is welcome to come with us. Let's go home. Your father is worried sick about you — Elizabeth replied, noticing the silent way Daryl looked at the two teenagers.

But anyway, what could the hunter say against the boy's determination? Elizabeth was Negan's right-hand, and he still wanted her.

Carl looked extremely relieved and turned to whisper something delicately in Lydia's ear that made her look up at him with such adoration that Elizabeth cleared her throat.

Daryl snorted beside her, shaking his head in surrender.

— Something to say, Mr. Dixon?

"You're just a giant soft heart. This whole new frightening facade doesn't fool anyone."

— My frightening facade fools everyone but you - she smiled innocently, earning a laugh from the hunter.

"Don't be absurd, girl." Daryl rolled his eyes but put his arm around her waist as they walked away.

* * *

On the long way back, Carl told them about a group that called themselves '' Whisperers ''. The whisperers had recently allied with the unified gangs beyond the border. They tortured the Saviors for information and brutally executed all of them when they refused to cooperate. According to Carl himself, he only survived because Lydia, with whom he had spoken during his stay in captivity, helped him escape as soon as she heard that he was the next to be interrogated and killed.

The girl was still strangely quiet, had one hand in Carl's, and glanced at her feet. She looked like something a breeze could blow, and Elizabeth felt a wave of compassion for the child that lived in fear of the monster's shadows. 

A few miles after, Lydia stopped suddenly, realizing that they were already a long way from her group's camp. '' I don't ... I shouldn't go with you, my people will look for me, and it will be bad ''.

"I'm not going to let you go back to them." Carl immediately spoke, again turning to face her as if they were the only two people there.

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me." She protested, looking exhausted and, at the same time, terribly sad.

Surprisingly, it was Daryl who eased the situation. '' Your group has already started a war, girlie. We will fight anyway. ''

The girl looked like she was about to argue but then Carl turned to her. '' If you go back, I'm coming with you. ''

"They will kill you as soon as they see you."

Grimes shrugged as if the possibility didn't bother him at all. Knowing that boy as Elizabeth did, she was sure it didn't really bother him. '' Did you have all that work to save me so I could die right away? ''

Lydia still looked upset, but Greene caught a glimpse of a grin taking her face. "Well, no ..."

* * *

When the quartet reached the factory, it was already morning. Elizabeth made a radio announcement for all the Saviors outside the newly fixed fences would return home.

That was an emergency.

A room was made available for Carl and Lydia, as well as supplies and a medical inspection.

Greene left to explain things to Negan, deciding to check on the teenagers after. She found the girl clean and wearing other clothes asleep on the bed, while Carl, sitting behind the desk, was writing a letter, probably to his father. 

" She is safe here, and you are also welcome to stay," Elizabeth offered, knowing that Negan would not object. The Saviors' leader always had a soft spot for children.

'' I appreciate that ''. Carl replied, looking at the sleeping girl. 

'' Lydia's mother is the whisperer's leader, and she let the men in the group do things with Lydia. She came to bring water in the tent for me, and one of the whisperers followed. He tried to rape her right in front of me. Even tied, I managed to beat the shit out of him ''. Carl told, through clenched teeth, and Elizabeth had to swallow a lump on her throat. 

— She's a brave girl. 

'' She's scared of them but saved my life anyway. Yes, she's very brave, and I won't let anyone hurt her again ''.

It seemed beyond some teenage fling, but Elizabeth wasn't surprised. Carl always got like that when he thought he owned someone something. 

Then, wanting to change the subject, the boy looked at her. "You and Daryl for real, huh?"

When Elizabeth made a face, he raised his hands in surrender. "No, seriously, that's good. He was completely miserable without you."

— Good, I was miserable without him too.

* * *

Letting the teenagers rest, Elizabeth went looking for Daryl. She found him cigarettes he probably got from Dwight on the terrace. '' The kids okay? ''

— Yes, the girl is the daughter of the whisperer's leader, who apparently didn't protect her from the men in the group, if you know what I mean.

'' Animals ''. Dixon murmured, his voice low with anger. Greene, who was well aware of his violent upbringing, stopped beside him, touching his forearm gently.

— She is with us now. No one will hurt her. I know you don't like Negan very much, and I even understand it, but Negan never allowed that kind of thing to happen here.

Daryl said nothing, and Greene felt a twinge of pain because that "Us" did not include him, Dixon's place was in Alexandria, and it was time for her to stop ignoring it.

— I'm sorry that you got stuck here. I was selfish — Elizabeth grudgingly admitted, thrusting her jaw and receiving a "tsc" in response.

'' What are you talking about?. I want to stay here. Your friends are a bunch of motherfuckers, but you're here, and I won't lose you again. ''

Elizabeth was so surprised that she didn't know what to say and realized that Daryl was becoming more apprehensive by the second, mistaking her silence.

— I love you, Daryl Dixon - she said, at last, standing on tiptoe to wrap her arms around the hunter's neck, she was laughing like an idiot, and as much as it seemed wrong to feel that way, so happy, after everything, Greene didn't care.

It was Daryl's time to freeze, but he recovered from the shock quickly, enveloping Elizabeth in both his arms before kissing her hard. His lips were ravenous, but his hands were gentle, drawing small circles with his thumbs on her back. 

Greene moved her face to the side, losing herself in the moment until an extremely energetic Sherry interrupted them, opening the terrace door without any description. "Come on, lovebirds, the meeting is about to start, and Negan wants you two there. He made a decision."

— I hope it is a very good decision to be worth the interruption.

Sherry smiled like a madwoman. "He made a decision that will change everything for all of us."


	10. I Live In A Hologram With You

**Washington - Currently**

**Elizabeth Greene:**

Sherry refused to say what Negan had decided, and Elizabeth, who hadn't slept for almost forty-eight hours, felt fatigue hammering in her temples. Still covered in dirt, Greene and Daryl made their way to the meeting room, unable to mask their surprise when the door opened, and they saw Rick Grimes inside. 

Alexandria's leader was not the only one, though. Negan had invited Jesus to represent Hilltop. Natania from Oceanside, a community that didn't want the Savior's protection, and therefore, didn't have much contact with them, arrived with her granddaughter, Cindie. 

Ezekiel, from the kingdom, sat beside his right-hand man, Richard, and Carol Peletier. The older woman didn't waste a second before getting up to wrap Elizabeth in a tight hug. The two became very close during the prison period, and Greene found herself breathing with satisfaction when she saw that Carol was fine. 

— It's so good to see you! - she exclaimed, ecstatic to reconnect with the woman who had been her closest confidant and friend after the fall of the farm. 

In many ways, Elizabeth saw Carol as a sister. The two of them were forced out of their comfort zones by the new world and found, while in the prison a place to grow into the people they wanted to become.

"We are here to fix this mess." Peletier asserted bluntly, stepping back to face Beth as if she were checking that she was okay. 

"I have been living in the kingdom for some time now. When Alexandria became too much for me... Ezekiel is a good man." She spoke, turning to Daryl but keeping one arm around Elizabeth. "And you, Daryl Dixon, I see you've finally come to your senses."

Greene laughed at that and quietly walked away to let the two friends talk. Rick was the one who approached her next, looking bewildered and, at the same time, very exhausted.

"Beth ..."

— I'm surprised to find you here - Elizabeth said, trying to break the ice.

"No more than I'm. '' The man responds with a hint of humor that she didn't expect. " But I know when to admit my mistakes, and whatever Negan has to say, I want to hear it."

She didn't even want to know how the leader of the Saviors had convinced him to go there, but she nodded, straightening up.

" I didn't thank you for finding Carl. "

— You don't have to. Carl's a smart boy, would have saved himself anyway.

"Still, you looked for him."

— Look, Rick, we all made mistakes. I've been thinking about it a lot during these last weeks. I'm willing to leave it all in the past, we both lost important people, but if we don't stop the killing, we will lose even more. Carl convinced me of that, and I hope we can convince others too.

Grimes stared at her for a few seconds, as if he was seeing her for the first time, and nodded, extending one of the hands she took between her own, giving a firm squeeze and sealing the beginning of a new era.

\------------

When the door opened a second time, showing Carl and a nervous-looking Lydia, Elizabeth smiled reassuringly to the girl, earning a shaky nod in response. 

The woman excused herself to Rick and went to where Daryl was, allowing father and son to talk without interruption. 

She saw Carl introducing Lydia to his father, saying something that made the girl smile shyly. After a few seconds, Rick hugged the teenager and kissed her forehead. 

Lydia looked astonished. Carl seemed satisfied. 

Greene smiled and turned her attention back to the meeting. The girl was in good hands. 

Elizabeth had spoken to Negan about Lydia when giving her report about the whisperers. The leader was furious while hearing about what the group had done with the girl, certainly remembering Joan, who none of them managed to save from Gorman and the other officers at Grady. Negan personally assured the teenager that she had a place with the Saviors. Lydia was one of his people now, and he would do anything to keep her safe. 

\-----------

Negan entered the room and, everyone started looking for their place around the long conference table. Carol stopped Elizabeth amid the buzz and smiled.

'' I'm glad that Daryl has finally stopped being a fool. That man adores you. Anyone with two eyes can see it. He was devastated by your absence. All these years, he never got over losing you. ''

Greene felt her face heat up with sudden embarrassment, and Carol let out a thrilling laugh. " I see that the feeling is mutual. "

— And I see that Ezekiel keeps looking over here. Queen Carol has a nice ring to it - she provoked, wanting to change the subject. To her surprise, the older woman tilted her head back and laughed even louder.

" That's what I'm going to find out. "

Shaking her head, Elizabeth led Carol to the table. The meeting had begun.

'' I know we made a fucking commitment to you on the security issue, and for a long time, we kept that agreement, but things have changed. The motherfuckers we call common enemies joined another group, some dipshit that use the bitter's skin to camouflage themselves and command entire hordes of those things. I called you all here because I want our communities to work together and fight against these assholes. '' Negan suddenly declared, and a murmur started inside the room, but after receiving a positive signal from the leader, Lydia quickly stood up and silenced everyone.

'' My name is Lydia. I was with these people. I know how they work, their tactics. I can help. I'll tell you everything. I can even teach you how to do what they do with the herds. ''

Natania was the first to object, saying that Lydia might as well be a spy. Carl was furious, but the girl moved her face negatively at him before turning to the older woman and lifting her shirt sleeves, revealing a series of long, deep scars that caused everyone in the room to fall into a deep silence.

" They did this to me, among other things ... And before Carl, I thought I had no other way to live, but I do, and I'm willing to fight for it. "

The doubt about Lydia's character seemed to decrease considerably, but, Natania again opened her mouth to say that the Whisperers' struggle was with the Saviors and not with the rest of the communities. Elizabeth would have been irritated under normal circumstances, though she understood the older woman's view. Oceanside was the only community on the same level as the Sanctuary. They had a lot to lose and knew when to choose their battles.

— Do you really think that, after they finish with us, they won't go after each one of you?. I know that Oceanside is a well-hidden community and that you didn't have as much contact with these groups as the rest of us but believe me when I say that they won't stop until we're all dead.

These words seemed to calm the mood, at least for that moment. Natania's granddaughter whispered something to her grandmother and, after a few minutes of a murmured conversation between the two, the Oceanside leader surrendered, and the meeting continued to address other topics.

\--------------

**Daryl Dixon:**

At the end of the meeting, when the alliance was accepted unanimously by all communities and an upcoming gathering scheduled to discuss the best tactic for dealing with outsiders, Rick asked to speak to Daryl in private.

Beth and Carol had gone out together, talking animatedly with Carl and Lydia - who seemed less shy by the minute. Negan had gone to let the rest of his staff know about the decision, leaving only Dixon and Rick in the yard.

'' Carl's staying ''. Rick told him, shifting the weight of one leg to another.

— You okay with him being part of Negan's people?.

Grimes let out a tired sigh and rubbed his forehead. '' You're here, and Beth practically raised my kids. I know he's safe, and I don't think Lydia would be welcome in Alexandria now ''.

— And Carl won't go back without her - Daryl snorted, making the other man laugh in agreement. 

'' I still think they're too young for this level of commitment, but she seems like a good kid ''. 

Daryl shakes his head positively. 

'' We miss you at home ''. Rick said, and the hunter lowered his head, staring at the twisted lines on the concrete when he nodded.

There were very few people that Daryl cared about what they thought about him, and Rick Grimes was one of them. As much as he felt as if he were betraying the brother he won in this new and horrible world, the hunter was also not going to go back, not when he finally found her again. When Dixon opened his mouth to say this, Alexandria's leader touched his shoulder. '' But I'm happy that you're here. I know how much Beth means to you, Daryl ''.

Daryl looked at him, perplexed, and Grimes gave him a smile that made him look a lot like Carl. "You are my brother, this is not conditional, but with or without an alliance, Negan is still a son of a bitch."

It was Daryl's turn to smile. — With this, we can both agree.

" Seriously now, I'm happy for you, and ... I know Hershel would be too. You're a good man. His daughter couldn't be with someone better. "

Rick's words served to appease all the uncertainties the hunter had inside him about his new relationship with Beth, and he felt lighter, pushing Rick playfully as they walked to the gates. — Enough, soon we'll start knitting like two old ladies.

\-----------

Elizabeth Greene:

" I'm sorry that Maggie didn't come. Rick said that she's not ready to be in a room with Negan," Daryl told Elizabeth later that day, his fingers sliding across her back absently. They are both under the hot shower, and, unlike the last time they shared the bath, there is nothing sexual about their gestures, just Dixon helping her wash her hair patiently. There was something domestic about the situation that made Elizabeth think.

She sighs and rests her chin on his chest. If this is her life now, Greene feels really willing to fight for it tooth and nail. — It's alright, it's not like I'm going to win some sister of the year award - the woman replies. Dixon is silent. 

They both know that Maggie could have tried if she really wanted to see her sister. Nobody would force her to see Negan. It was just that, again, Elizabeth wasn't her priority.

In a strange way, she felt no guilt, the two had taken very different paths in life, and maybe things would change when Maggie's baby was born, but anyway, Elizabeth decided not to think about it too much.

The two returned to the room, already dry and wearing clean clothes. Greene was already asleep before she even laid her head on the pillow.

\-------------

The next day dawned cold, a pale fog covered the factory yard, and Elizabeth shivered in front of the bedroom window, wearing only a worn pair of T-shirt and sleeping shorts. The freezing wind must have woken Daryl because he rolled over in bed, his voice hoarse with sleep traveling over there. ''What the hell are you doing? ''.

— The last time I checked, you were a morning person, Mr. Dixon - Greene teases, turning to smile mischievously to him.

"Not when I wake up freezing." The man grunted, resting his arms behind his head to watch her.

Snorting, she went back to bed with slow strides, sitting on the edge. A comfortable but meaningful silence ensued between them. She had woken up a long time ago now, thinking about several things that had been worrying her for some time now.

— Are you sure you want to stay here with me?. If you prefer to go back to Alexandria, I will understand. I can go there to see you. We can find a way to make this work.

"I'm not getting cold feet. It's not like they need me all the time."

Biting her lip and lowering her face, she smiled and nodded in understanding, leaning down to wrap her arms around the man's torso and stretch out over him like a lazy cat. When Daryl made no sign to remove her, Elizabeth fell into a more peaceful sleep.

\------------

Alpha's message did not arrive until two days later, a harsh statement saying that if Lydia were not delivered, a war would begin. The war had already started, and Negan's response made that very clear.

\-----------

A week later, a group of Hilltop scouts disappeared, and the community union organized what would be the first offensive of many that were yet to come.

\-----------

The night was icing, Elizabeth could feel her face numb from the cold wind, but thanks to the heat of Daryl's body pressed against hers in the faded pickup's body, the woman felt relatively warm. Both of them had their eyes on the horizon, where the orange light of a distant fire lit the winter sky.

The war continued in full swing, neither side willing to give in.

When Greene supported the weight momentarily on Daryl and heard him grunt, she turned to look at him with petulant irritation. —I swear to God, the next time you get into a fight with a guy who is twice your size, I'll kill you myself.

The hunter merely snorted. He smelled of smoke and blood, but although wounded, he was alive, so Elizabeth found that scent the most comforting thing in the universe.

'' I took care of myself long before you were born, girl. '' Daryl spoke but turned his face to rest his chin on the top of her head.

— Exactly, but now I'm here to do that, and don't you girl me, I'm still angry. What the fuck were you thinking?.

The hunter shrugged. '' I couldn't let him take Lydia back to those fuckers ''. 

The teenager in question had both of Carl Grimes arms wrapped protectively around her body. She was talking with Benjamin, a blonde boy from the Kingdom, but when Carl whispered something softly against her temple, she stopped the conversation to giggle. The girl was a quick learner and a real warrior. She'd taken three whisperers down because they had the nerve to tell her they would kill Carl as soon as they finished with her. Laura, one of the Savior's most skilled soldiers, was impressed enough to start treating Lydia like her personal baby duckling, teaching the girl to use all kinds of weapons. 

Lydia was slowly growing into her own person, surrounded by friends and people who really appreciated her. 

Greene sighed. She couldn't even be mad at him. If Daryl didn't do that kind of dumb shit, he wouldn't be the man she loved so much. Still very much annoyed, the woman fumbled in her pockets, looking for a pair of worn rings she'd found on sale at one of the factory's stalls days ago. For some reason, she was unable to get rid of simple jewelry, and since then, Elizabeth had been looking for the perfect moment for that.

The two had almost died earlier, and for her, no moment would be better than this. Dixon saw what she had in her hands and went very quiet. More and more nervous about the man's silence, Greene started babbling again. — I just... I know how you are, and I wanted you to know that I'm serious about us, but if you don't want to, that's okay. I just thought that...

'' I want to ''. Daryl was quick to assure her of this, swallowing hard as he looked at the rings with an unreadable expression on his face. '' But, are you sure you want this with me now? ''

Elizabeth seriously thought about spoiling the mood by punching him in the face for having the audacity to ask that question, but she took a deep breath and stopped herself. They were at war. The timing was as good as any.

— I thought about it a lot in the last few days, and yes, I'm sure. Those weeks after the prison fall changed everything. I got to know and love the real you. 

"I was an asshole most of the time."

— No, you showed me I was strong, and it ended up saving my life at Grady Memorial.

'' Nah, you saved yourself. ''

Greene knew many people who would agree with that, but she knew better. Daryl had been one of her main incentives to escape that hell, to keep fighting. — Should I kneel and propose? - she joked, taking one of the rings.

Daryl rolled his eyes. " I don't know, should I wear a fancy suit?. "

— I think the wedding dress would look better on you - Elizabeth said as she put the ring on his finger, laughing when the man wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her to him.

— Wait, we need to do this right. I know Sherry always hides liquor in this pickup - Greene interrupted the hunter before he put the ring on her hand and climbed out of the pickup's back, turning around to inspect the vehicle's cabin. Her laughter was impossible to stifle when she found only a sealed bottle of Peach Schnapps under the driver's seat.

Daryl snorted as he recognized the packaging, his expression of genuine happiness completely destroying the rude gesture he had made about the drink. His hands were shaking by the time he slid the ring through the woman's ring finger.

Dwight whistled when he saw what was happening, and Sherry blurted out a '' About damn time '' before coming close to hug and congratulate Elizabeth. '' If you hurt my sister, Dixon, I'll end you ''. 

Lydia gave them a thumbs up and a dimpled smile. 

Daryl glared at her, Greene and Dwight snickered. They would have to get used to each other. 

Around them, a mixture of Saviors, Alexandrians. Residents of Hilltop and the Kingdom, moved hurriedly already preparing for the next battle. Greene returned with Daryl to the back of the pickup, content to have the man's arms around her body and observe the progress they had made since they met again.

'' I love you ''. Dixon whispered, and Elizabeth stood on tiptoe to kiss him with all the passion she had.

Things would get much worse before they got better. But until then, they would fight together against anyone who dared to try to separate them again.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, as you can see, this fanfic is extremely AU. Beth is in the sanctuary because she wants to, and her presence there caused a kind of butterfly effect in the community structure and in Negan (I won't go into details for spoiler reasons).
> 
> Beth's indifference towards Maggie and co will be explained in the following chapters. I tried my best to create a subplot that justifies this without becoming ridiculous, but I don't know if I succeeded. 
> 
> The only thing that was really explicit is that Rick's group killed someone very, very important to her at that outpost.
> 
> I don't mean to make the saviors look like angels and Rick's people the bad guys, but the story is basically narrated by Beth and what can I say? She is not a very impartial narrator...
> 
> Finally: Daryl never met Dwight and Sherry in the burnt forest because they never had any reason to flee the sanctuary in the first place, the only confrontation other than the deaths of the outpost was when the Saviors killed Denise. The timeline is a little spoiled in this fanfic, and I’m too lazy to fix it. If Judith spent six seasons without speaking, I can make a few script mistakes too;).
> 
> I am very influenced by the dubbing of the series in my original language and because this is a translation of fanfic of mine written in Portuguese, some lines of the characters here may seem extremely out of character due to the lack of accent. I'm sorry. I'm trying to work on it.


End file.
